


Death's Cry

by Kept_Candlelight



Category: Monster High
Genre: Bullying, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Death, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Half-Siblings, Human Trafficking, Infidelity, Mental Health Issues, Near Death Experiences, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Substance Abuse, Suicide Attempt, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 109,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kept_Candlelight/pseuds/Kept_Candlelight
Summary: Everyone always thought he was fine. A few questions left unanswered are no big deal. But those questions make up his past, present, and future. They make him who he is. However, during a school project, Frankie and the ghouls must dig into the past without burying anyone in its shadows in the process.Reposted from Fanfiction.net
Relationships: Cleo de Nile/Deuce Gorgon, Draculaura/Clawd Wolf, Invisi Billy/Scarah Screams, Jackson Jekyll/Frankie Stein, Lagoona Blue/Gillington "Gil" Webber
Comments: 9
Kudos: 24





	1. And Reveal What Was Hidden in Plain View

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning: This story contains potentially distressing material. Please proceed with caution.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Monster High students receive a project, where they must learn about the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Monster High or any of the songs used in the making of this story.

It was nearing the end of the semester, the time when the students were all busy with excitement thanks to the upcoming break. The end of the semester also meant that Headless Headmistress Bloodgood would clean up her office and clear it of the multitude of papers that would pile up throughout the months. Unlike the other times she'd clean though, she found something peculiar. Something that would change the lives of the students forever.

It was a Monday afternoon, and Headless Headmistress Bloodgood, Mr. Rotter, Mr. Hack, Mr. Where, and Mrs. Kindergrubber were gathered around in the headmistress' office after agreeing to help clean the office, some doing a better job than others.

"I wanted to start by thanking you for your dedication," the headmistress said. "Although you don't have to help, it is greatly appreciated." She fidgeted with a metal key in her hand, fingering the top of it. She plugged it into a door in her office and twisted it, unlocking the dark room. Flipping the light switch, the teachers gazed inside to see a multitude of cardboard boxes scattered throughout the room, some on shelves and some on the floor. "Let's begin, shall we?"

* * *

The next hour was spent cleaning the room that was surprisingly larger than the teachers had mistaken it for. Each teacher was assigned a different task. As Mr. Hack vacuumed the carpet, Mrs. Kindergrubber dusted. Mr. Rotter moved the boxes from the closet to the office, where Mr. Where unboxed the items and Headless Headmistress Bloodgood divided them into piles.

"This one," Mr. Rotter gasped, taking in staggered breaths, "is heavy." He dropped the box onto the carpet in front of Mr. Where, who was kneeling down. "What do you have in there? Bricks?" Mr. Where rolled his hidden eyes before slicing the tape with the scissors and pulling the flaps apart. He emptied out the box, and Headless Headmistress Bloodgood looked at the objects with surprise.

"Tapes?" She picked up two of the tapes, one in each hand. Mr. Rotter looked up at her, his hands on his knees.

"They can't be that important if you just forgot they existed and left them in the grave to rot," he groaned.

"Hold on, everyone," Headless Headmistress Bloodgood said. The teachers all stopped cleaning and looked at her. "Let's take a break for a minute."

"A well-needed one," Mr. Rotter grumbled. Mr. Where disappeared into the closet and returned with an old movie player. He placed it on Bloodgood's desk before taking a tape and inserting it into the player. The tape began playing as he turned off the lights and joined the other teachers, who were sitting on the floor and leaning back on the front of the desk.

The tape resumed in the middle of the recording. The scene started at Monster High in the auditorium. Bloodgood, Mr. Hack, and Mr. Rotter sat in the front row, looking up towards the stage. On the stage, there were three adults. The first was a female in her mid-to-late twenties. She had blonde beach waves that reached her shoulders, tan skin, and blue eyes. The second was a male who was also in his late twenties. He had straight, brown hair that was neat and clean with sharp brown eyes and fair skin. Both he and the girl were humans. The last was a monster girl who looked to be in her early thirties. Her hair was snow white and curly with matching white eyes with blue pupils shaped as snowflakes. Her skin was a soft periwinkle, and a crown of snowflakes sat atop her head. Headless Headmistress Bloodgood smiled at them politely in the video. "Welcome to Monster High!" she said kindly. "What city are you from?"

"We're from Salem," the blonde girl answered.

"And who are the contestants?"

"There are two boys and two girls. They're family." Headmistress Bloodgood nodded.

"Bring them on stage please," she said, writing in a notebook. The blonde girl looked out to the wing of the stage, and four young teens entered the stage. The first was a girl with wavy, white hair, pale skin, and crystal blue eyes. For such a young age, her arms were inked in plenty of tattoos, and a line of piercings trailed up the shells of her ears. In her hand was a black bass guitar. The second was a boy with brown hair and stormy gray eyes. His skin was a light olive, and unlike the girl, he had no visible tattoos. He held a pair of drumsticks in his hands. The third was a boy with green hair, emerald eyes, and the same light olive as the other boy. He had a black electric guitar and microphone with him. The last was a girl that looked similar to the boy with green hair. She too had green hair and eyes and olive skin. She was lithe, but still curvy. She had only a microphone with her. "I suppose you don't use a track," Bloodgood joked.

"No, not usually," the girl with green hair said with a tight smile.

"What is the song called?"

"'Hero.'"

"Alright, take it away!" The brown-haired boy tapped his drumsticks together before the group began playing together.

Outside the tape, Headless Headmistess Bloodgood looked towards Mr. Hack and Mr. Rotter. "Do you remember this?" she questioned, her eyebrows knitted.

"Oye," Mr. Hack agreed, "That girl had a bloody good voice. Sent chills. Boy too."

"Yes, both were stellar," Mr. Rotter added. "They won, did they not?"

Headless Headmistress Bloodgood nodded. "Yes, I believe they did," she said, continuing to stare at the faces in the screen. "They look so familiar," she said, trailing off at the end.

"Only the boy," Mr. Rotter said. Mr. Hack nodded in agreeance. "The name might come eventually. You never know." Mr. Where stood up and took out the tape, inserting a new one in directly after. The scene started in Monster High's gym. A disco hung from the ceiling, and streamers and balloons decorated the room. Mrs. Kindergrubber gasped and covered her face with her hands.

"Aw!" She exclaimed, "This was our prom!"

"Good times," Mr. Rotter said wistfully.

The Home Ick teacher looked to Mr. Hack. "Remember when you asked me to prom? Your face was beet red, and your hands were all sweaty." Mr. Hack grinned.

"And I offered you a black rose."

"Which may be wilted, but I still have," she responded, smiling in return.

"The end-of-the-scaremester project is coming up," Bloodgood said. She motioned for Mr. Where to stop the video, to which he complied. "We can split up the students into groups and have them research one of these tapes. That way, they can strengthen their investigation, teamwork, and communication skills."

"We can use the students in my class," Mr. Rotter said.

"Alright, Mr. Rotter. Thank you for volunteering," Headless Headmistress Bloodgood grinned. "Now, we should get back to work. We don't have all afternoon."

* * *

The next day, the bell rang, and students began piling into Mr. Rotter's classroom.

"Take your seats, everyone. Heath! Quit throwing pencils! You'd better be prepared today! I'm not letting you borrow any more!"

"What do you think we'll do for our final?" Frankie asked Draculaura and Clawdeen as they took their seats.

"Beats me," Clawdeen said, picking at her long claws. "Hopefully, it's not something stupid like it was last time." The bell rang once more, and Mr. Rotter shut his classroom door.

"Good morning, class," he began. "As you all know, the end of the scaremester is coming up. We will be doing a large project." This earned a loud groan from the class, who were immediately silenced when Mr. Rotter dropped a skull on the desk. "Your names are already in this skull. I will draw your names for a certain team. There are two teams: Team One and Team Two."

Toralei scoffed. "Creative."

After drawing all the names, it ended with Frankie, Clawdeen, Draculaura, Cleo, Lagoona, Abbey, Ghoulia, Clawd, Operetta, and Jackson on Team One. Robecca, Deuce, Gil, Toralei, Heath, Spectra, Invisi Billy, Scarah, Meowlody, Purrsephone, Manny, and Slo Mo were on Team Two.

"Now, before this gets too easy," Mr. Rotter began, "There a few rules. You must have proof of where you got the information. You must include at least one interview. And you must present your project."

"Well now," Operetta exclaimed, "Those aren't that hard to follow!"

"Yeah!" Heath agreed. "The Heathster can totally handle this!"

"Anyways," Mr. Rotter said, rolling his eyes, "there are two tapes to choose from." He took out the tapes and presented them to his students. "Team One. Which tape would you like?" He walked towards Jackson, holding both tapes out for him.

"We can't even see them first?" The geeky human asked.

"Let fate decide," Mr. Rotter answered. Jackson reached for the tape in Mr. Rotter's left hand. Mr. Rotter tossed Gil the other tape. He stumbled and barely caught the old piece of technology. "Since Team One chose first, Team Two can watch their tape first." Gil stood up and went over to the old movie player sitting on Mr. Rotter's desk. He pushed the tape in, and it immediately started playing. Monster High's gym came into view. A disco ball spun above the students' heads.

"Now," the DJ in the tape exclaimed, "to the class of 1814, it's time to party!" Loud music began playing. Jackson covered his ears as all the students in the video danced together. Some drank punch, while others talked and others danced. Everyone appeared to be having fun. The DJ raised a cup. "Cheers to the class of 1814!" Everyone cheered and laughed, and the video shut off.

"Team Two," Mr. Rotter announced, "Your project is to learn about the teachers as students. What were they like? What clubs were they in? Who were they friends with? All this and more.

"This is gonna be off the fang!" Heath cheered. His hair lit into fire, lighting the corner of Abbey's paper up.

"Heath!" she said, swatting at the page and putting out the fire. "Chill out!"

"Team One. Your tape," Mr. Rotter said, ignoring the fire elemental.

Jackson got up and put the tape into the player. The video takes place in the backstage of the auditorium. There were three monsters. The first was a boy with brown hair and gray eyes. The second was also a boy, but he had green hair and eyes. The last was a girl with bleached blonde hair with pink streaks and pink eyes. All looked roughly thirteen years old. Two more girls entered. The first had white hair, crystal blue eyes, and an edgy, punk outfit. She was the oldest of the group, looking about fourteen. The last was a girl with green hair and eyes and a long, black dress. She looked roughly thirteen. She waved her arm out and smiled.

"I'm so glad you all could attend," she said in a posh accent. Everyone laughed in the video. However, in the classroom, Deuce paled, which only Gil noticed. A photographer came over next to the group.

"Smile for the website homepage!" They grouped together and smiled until the photographer snapped a picture and walked away.

"Madison, what took you so long?" The boy with the brown hair asked.

"Between makeup problems and lady problems, life was just favoring the other groups," the green-haired girl, Madison, responded.

"If you had makeup problems, why didn't you come to me?" The girl with the bleached and pink hair asked.

"And if you had lady problems, why didn't you come to me?" The boy with brown-hair teased.

"Okay, A. You were busy," Madison said, pointing to the girl with pink in her hair, "And B. Absolutely not, Seth," she said, pointing to the brown-haired boy, Seth, who shrugged and smirked.

"Whatever," he said, "Either way, you can still see some purple on that cheekbone though."

"Wait, what?" Madison squeaked. "Oh sh*t! We just got pictures too!" She reached into her bra and pulled out a compact, looking into the mirror. Madison glared at him before putting it away and reaching back into her bra. When she pulled her hand out, she only had one finger up: the middle one. She used her other hand to pinch the finger at the top knuckle of her middle finger and pull it up, as if she was removing a cap. She then traced her middle finger along her lips like lipstick, before rubbing her lips together and putting the "cap" back on the "lipstick" tube. She then tucked her finger back into her bra and pulled her hand out again.

"That's _real_ classy," the boy with green hair said with a smile. Madison stuck out her forked tongue at him and returned the smile. They grabbed their instruments and microphones and waited on the wing of the stage. The camera switched to the front of the stage. Bloodgood, Mr. Hack, and Mr. Rotter sat in the front row, looking up towards the stage. On the stage, there were three adults. The first was a female in her mid-to-late twenties. She had blonde beach waves that reach her shoulders, tan skin, and blue eyes. The second was a male who was also in his late twenties. He had straight, brown hair that was neat and clean with sharp brown eyes and fair skin. Both he and the girl were humans. The last was a monster girl who looked to be in her early thirties. Her hair was snow white and curly with matching white eyes with blue pupils shaped as snowflakes. Her skin was a soft periwinkle, and a crown of snowflakes sat atop her head. Headless Headmistress Bloodgood smiled at them politely.

"Welcome to Monster High!" she said kindly. "What city are you from?"

"We're from Salem," the blonde girl answered.

"And who are the contestants?"

"There are two boys and two girls. They're family." Headmistress Bloodgood nodded.

"Bring them on stage please," she said as she wrote in a notebook. The blonde girl looked out to the wing of the stage, and four young teens entered the stage. The one with pink in her hair stayed back.

"I suppose you don't use a track," Bloodgood joked.

"No, not usually," Madison said with a tight smile.

"What is the song called?"

"'Hero.'"

"Alright, take it away!" Seth tapped his drumsticks together before the group began playing together. The boy with the green hair leaned into the microphone stand, still playing his guitar.

"I'm just a step away. I'm just a breath away. Losin' my faith today." His voice was smooth and deep, and it sent chills down everyone's spines. Madison returned the treatment as well.

"Fallin' off the edge today." Her voice was also strong and smooth like butter, but it was clear as rain. Yet, it was stunning as well.

"Whoa," Heath said. "That's...wow."

"They're both fantastic," Clawd agreed.

"See, why can't we have voices like those in the school choir?" Cleo said, staring at the faces on the screen. "Instead, we have voices like Toralei's."

"Meow!" Toralei interrupted. "I'm not _in_ chorus," she hissed at the mummy. "I have more dignity than that. The only monsters who are in the choir are the monsters who let their dreams get so big that they block reality's view. They're the ones who say they're going to be sooooo famous, but do they ever go anywhere? No."

"That's not entirely true, Toralei," Lagoona responded. "A lot of them do it for fun, and at least they have dreams."

"Whatever," the werecat said, rolling her eyes. "All I'm saying is-"

"Stop with your talking!" Abbey snapped. "How can we do assignment if we can't hear video?" Toralei slumped in her seat but silenced.

Madison and the green-haired boy on the screen sang together one last time. "A hero's gonna save me just in time!" They were rewarded with a standing ovation as the audience cheered loudly. Mr. Rotter paused the tape.

"Team One, you are to learn about this ghoul," he said, pointing to Madison on the screen. "It is believed that she was supposed to come to Monster High, but she didn't. You are researching her. Any questions?" Hands automatically shot up in the air. "Ghoulia Yelps?"

"When is this project due?" she groaned.

"Two weeks. Heath?"

"Is there extra credit?" Mr. Rotter rolled his eyes.

"For someone who never does the assignments given, why would you ask for extra credit?" The students laughed as Heath's head sunk. "Scarah?"

"Is this graded as a group or individually?"

"We will see. Last question. Frankie?"

"How do we research this ghoul if we don't even know her name?" Frankie raised her eyebrows in curiosity. She wasn't trying to be mean, but it was her final and wanted a good grade. Mr. Rotter smiled.

"Ah, Frankie. I believe Headmistress Bloodgood was talking about this tape when she said that there were a bunch of people who know this ghoul. Some know her personally. Others not so much. There are many people to ask."

"What is her name?"

"I believe it is Madison. Madison Jayne," he said. Frankie nodded.

"I've never even heard of a Madison Jayne," Clawdeen said.

"Me neither," Abbey agreed.

Lagoona nodded and said, "Name's not coming to me either."

"I don't know _any_ Madisons," Jackson said. The bell rang loudly, startling the class.

"Talk to Bloodgood about it," Mr. Rotter said over the sound of rustling and the students leaving the classroom. As everyone left the classroom, Draculaura looked over at her group, who was heading to Headmistress Bloodgood's office.

"I haven't heard of that name before," she squeaked. "Is it someone I should know?"

"Didn't the people in the tape look familiar to you?" Clawdeen inquired.

"They certainly do look recognizable," Ghoulia groaned, nodding her head.

"Agree with zombie," Abbey replied. "Do look familiar."

"But who?" Frankie asked to herself. Operetta stared at the wall ahead blankly. Clawdeen waved her hand in front of Operetta's face.

"Earth to Operetta. Are you in there?" Operetta snapped out of her trance to see everyone staring at her.

"What?" Operetta asked, her southern accent more apparent than usual. "Oh, sorry, ghouls."

"What were ya thinkin 'bout, mate?" Lagoona coaxed gently.

"Madison Jayne," Operetta said, thinking to herself. "I've heard that name before. It sounds so familiar..."

"You'll remember it later," Clawd said.

"Yeah, we should talk to Bloodgood," Jackson said. "I don't think any of us actually remember Madison Jayne...if we even knew her."

"We should hurry then," Frankie said. From the end of the hallway, Gil and Deuce were walking together. Gil noticed Deuce staring at them.

"Deuce?" The freshwater monster asked. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Deuce answered simply.

"You looked sick when Mr. Rotter started playing the other group's tape. Once that 'Madison Jayne' ghoul started speaking, really."

"Dude, I'm fine."

"Alright," Gil said. He knew something wasn't right, but he didn't push him into saying anything.

* * *

Frankie, Clawdeen, Draculaura, Clawd, Abbey, Jackson, Operetta, Ghoulia, Cleo, and Lagoona stood in Headless Headmistress Bloodgood's office as the headmistress looked up at them from her desk.

"What can I do for you ghouls and mansters?" Bloodgood asked kindly, smiling at the students.

"Headmistress Bloodgood," Frankie started, "Mr. Rotter gave us an assignment where we have to learn a ghoul named Madison Jayne. None of us know her though." Headless Headmistress Bloodgood sighed.

"Most of you do know her. Frankie, Jackson, and Abbey, you probably don't, but everyone else does."

"I don't think I've heard her name before," Clawdeen said.

"Maybe you haven't heard that name," Bloodgood said, "but you probably have heard her other name.

"She had two names?" Draculaura asked.

"Two last names," the headmistress cleared up. "If I gave you her other last name, you would quickly run to someone else for questions."

"Can you give us last name?" Abbey inquired.

"I shouldn't," the headless woman answered.

"Then, how do we learn this?" Jackson asked.

"I promise," the woman said, "there is someone you all know very well- two monsters actually- that can help. They are blood relatives." Draculaura fainted, and Clawd caught her. Clawdeen fanned her, and Draculaura opened her eyes again. "This story was given to me by a parent here. She kindly told me what was happening and not to worry if anything was wrong."

"She?" Cleo asked, raising a perfectly-arched eyebrow.

"It was a mother."

"Whose?"

"That information won't be given from me. However, I'm surprised she did give me the story. She didn't have to, and it probably brings back awful memories for her."

"Can you tell us the story?" Frankie questioned. Headless Headmistress Bloodgood shook her head.

"It's pretty gruesome. Your project is really dark."

"So is Heath," Abbey said. "He gruesome too. But we see him every day." Headless Headmistress Bloodgood sighed.

"I will tell you this. There are two monsters you know. They will give you most of your information. It's lunchtime, so you better move along. I wouldn't want you to be late." The students nodded and left the room with more questions than before and none answered.

* * *

In the lunchroom, the girls were talking over their food about the project.

"Madison Jayne," Clawdeen complained. "I can't believe Headmistress Bloodgood didn't even tell us the names of who truly knows her." She stabbed her steak with a plastic fork as Robecca placed her tray of food on the table and sat next to Lagoona.

"Hello, ghouls!" the robot chirped.

"Robecca!" Frankie exclaimed. "Do you know anyone named Madison Jayne?" Robecca looked around, deep in thought.

"Mmm...nope. I don't quite remember a Madison Jayne."

"This is hopeless!" Draculaura cried. "We'll never know!"

* * *

"I can't believe we have to do a project on some chick no one knows," Clawd complained, picking at his food. The guys sat across the lunchroom at their table, discussing the same matter as the girls.

"You guys only have to interview teachers and ask to see their old yearbooks," Jackson said.

"Old yearbooks, huh? Thanks for the idea," Invisi Billy joked.

"This is so rad!" Heath cheered, his hair setting on fire.

"It's just a project," Manny said. "Don't get so happy."

"It's twenty percent of our grade this semester," Clawd said. "If anything, get worked up."

"Like Deuce, over here," Heath said, elbowing Deuce's ribs.

"He looks like he's in the mood to break a neck," Gil said. "He'll gladly choose yours, Heath." Heath shrunk back immediately.

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked.

"Nothing," Deuce answered, "but can we please change the subject?"

"Why change the subject if nothing's wrong?" Heath asked, completely ignorant.

"Heath," Clawd said slowly and cautiously.

"Fine," Heath replied. "Here's a subject change. Deuce, I've always wanted to know about your father." Jackson's eyes widened, not believing his cousin was actually stupid enough to go through with this.

"Oh god," Invisi Billy said, vocalizing how Jackson felt.

"Heath," Clawd snapped.

"Tell us, bro!" There wasn't a hint of rudeness in Heath's tone, just excitement and curiosity.

"If I wanted to, I would have by now," Deuce said through gritted teeth.

"Don't like your old man?" Manny said, taking a bite of his lunch.

"'Don't like' is a huge understatement," Deuce mumbled.

"What's wrong with him?" Jackson asked cautiously.

"Gods, Heath!" Deuce groaned, slamming his hands on the table. "You couldn't have picked a different subject?!"

"You should started the subject then if you want to complain about it," Heath said.

"Heath," Gil snapped. "Just stop."

"All we want to know is who would have a kid with Medusa?" The table became silent in seconds. Deuce immediately stood up and stormed away, leaving the lunchroom. All the guys immediately glared at the fire elemental.

"Oh, well, thanks a lot, _Heath_!" Invisi Billy groaned.

"I asked him a simple question!" Heath exclaimed. "He shouldn't have gotten mad over it."

"You clearly saw he was upset," Gil said. "Why would you ask that?! You know that's a sensitive subject for him."

"Calm down. He'll get over it soon enough."

"You're just glad he didn't stone you first," Clawd mumbled. The bell rang, ending lunch. All the students got up to throw away their trash and hurry to their next class.

* * *

"Do you think a teacher knows who Madison is?" Draculaura inquired.

Ghoulia groaned. "It doesn't hurt to ask."

"Clawd," Cleo said, seeing the werewolf. "Do you know where Deuce is?"

"No. He was upset during lunch but stormed off when Heath said something stupid," Clawd replied. Everyone walked towards Frankie's locker and crowded around it as Frankie put in the locker combination and unlocked the locker door. Inside her locker was a slip of paper.

"Is it from a crush?" Draculaura asked, looking at the paper in her friend's mint hands.

"I dunno," Frankie answered.

"What does it say?" Clawdeen said, peering over her shoulder.

"'Meet me at the fountain in the front of the school when the bell rings, ending school,'" Frankie read aloud.

"Ooh!" Clawdeen sang teasingly.

"Look on the back," Cleo pointed. "There's writing."

"'Bring everyone in team one.'"

"Aw," Draculaura sighed, obviously let down. "So it isn't from a crush."

"We go too?" Abbey asked.

"Yeah, mate," Lagoona answered.

"It must have something to do with the project. Someone's going to help! Come on, let's get to the next class," Frankie said, shutting her locker door.

* * *

All of Team One stood outside near the fountain after the last bell rang. Frankie looked around, the slip of paper in her hands. Her bolts had been sparking all day, and now, she would finally see what it was for. Yet, some of the group was getting impatient.

"Where are they?" Clawdeen asked, gazing around the courtyard. Immediately, a ghoul dashed out of the school and up towards the group.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said. "Teacher wouldn't let us leave."

"Viperine?" Cleo said.

"You're the secret one?" Draculaura said, enthusiasm present in her voice.

Viperine giggled. "I guess you could call it that," she said.

"What do you know about Madison Jayne?" Frankie asked the snake-haired ghoul.

"No," Clawdeen interrupted. "First, how are you related to her? Are you friends or what?"

"Unauthorized information," Viperine said. "I can't give away the other person's identity." Viperine handed Frankie a thumb drive.

"What's this?"

"Well, obviously it's a thumb drive," Viperine laughed. "On it are videos and pictures of Madison."

"Thanks!" Clawd smiled. "This helps so much!"

"You're welcome," Viperine said, smiling in return. "I need to leave. Mis primos are coming over soon." She headed away from the group and left them near the water fountain.

"Deuce!" Frankie exclaimed.

"What?" Clawdeen asked, confused.

"Deuce and Viperine are the two monsters Bloodgood was talking about!"

"How do you know is Deuce?" Abbey questioned.

"Think about it," Frankie said. "Bloodgood said they were relatives. Viperine said she couldn't tell how she was related to Madison because she would be giving away the other monster's identity. If she said she was a family member, Deuce would've been included."

"Frankie's right," Dracualaura nodded. "Whether Madison is a sister or cousin or whatever, it brings Deuce into the mix."

"That also explains why he was upset in the cafeteria. He knew about Madison but didn't want to tell anyone," Clawd said.

"Why didn't he want to tell us?" Lagoona asked.

Cleo shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't like her?"

"Or something must've happened to her and he doesn't want to think about her, in fear of bringing it up," Frankie replied. Clawdeen grabbed Frankie by the waist and lifted her up into the air before placing her feet on the ground again.

"Atta ghoul!"

Two monsters made their way towards the school. The one on the left was a tall male with brown snakes, a blue tee, and ripped blue jeans. He wore dog tags around his neck. The one on the right was a short female with long, wavy, white snakes, a black and white shirt with sleeves that ended at the elbow, booty shorts, fishnet leggings, and knee length combat boots. She was covered in tattoos, especially on her arms. They included an angel and a demon on either side of her neck, a drawing of an angel beside her shoulder, and names and small drawings all over her arms. The boy crossed his arms and smirked. The ghoul scoffed and immediately dropped to the floor, catching herself on her hands and kicking her legs up until she was walking on only her hands.

"Aren't they the two monsters from the video?" Draculaura asked slowly.

"Yeah!" Frankie exclaimed. The boy from the video- Seth- grabbed the ghoul's leg, causing her to fall.

"BASTARD!" She screamed, standing up and chasing Seth around the front of the school. She ran into Abbey, and they both toppled to the ground.

"Oh my gods! I'm so sorry!" She said, standing up and helping Abbey to her feet. "Seth! It's your f*cking fault, ya f*cking fat a*s!" Frankie paled from the cursing, but Seth just laughed.

"Not my fault you ran into her. I just grabbed your leg. You chased me," he said.

"You were the one that told me to walk on my hands in the first place!"

"No, I just said I didn't think you could do it."

"We've only been in America half an hour, and I've already almost gotten arrested _and_ knocked some ghoul down."

"Come on, we need to leave."

"Fine," she said. "She's obviously not here." The duo followed in Viperine's direction, shoving each other every so often.

"...Well darn," Frankie said.

"Do you want me to call Deuce?" Cleo asked, taking out her gold phone.

"No," Clawd answered. "He was already ticked off. I don't want him to hate me too."

"Call Viperine then," the mummy replied. Frankie complied, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Viperine," Frankie said. "It's me and the gang."

"Hi, everyone!" The gorgon cheered.

"Are the two people you and Deuce?" Frankie asked.

"I was gone for, what? Three minutes? You already looked at the drive?"

"No! Is it you two though?"

"Yes, it is."

"Can you tell us about Madison?" Cleo asked.

"Better idea," Viperine said. "I've been staying with my aunt and him since I got back from my latest movie. My cousins are also coming over. Everyone knows anything and everything about Madison. Come over to Deuce's house. 'Kay?"

"Alright, we'll be there soon," Frankie said, ending the call.

"Should we...you know...search for evidence around the school?" Jackson said, not wanting to know firsthand if Deuce was still upset.

"Like where?" Cleo asked. Immediately, an idea popped into everyone's head.

"His locker!"

"Quick!" Frankie screeched. "Before he finds out!" Everyone ran to the inside of the school, scurrying down the hallway until they saw Deuce's locker.

"What's his combination?" Clawd asked.

"No idea," his sister replied. "Cleo, do you know?"

"If I knew," Cleo said, "I wouldn't have gotten Spectra to look inside that one time when-"

As if on cue, Spectra floated by, catching Ghoulia's eye.

Ghoulia moaned, "Spectra! Do you mind looking in this locker for us?"

"I did it once," the ghost said. "I can do it again." She put her face into the metal door. "Now, what do you need?"

"Find evidence," Cleo said.

"Like a bouquet of flowers?" Spectra asked.

"But mate, weren't those for-" Lagoona started.

"There's eleven."

"...What?" Frankie asked.

"There's eleven flowers," Spectra said.

"Why doesn't he just have twelve- a dozen? That's how many flowers usually come in a bouquet," Draculaura asked the group.

"Anything else?" Spectra asked.

"Yeah, just keep looking," Clawdeen said.

"A few pictures of his family," Spectra answered.

"Describe them," Cleo said.

"Okay...short ghoul with long, white snakes for hair. Tall boy with brown snakes for hair. Viperine is also in the picture. A ghoul with green snakes and Deuce."

"It's gotta be Deuce then, Clawd said. "Everyone in that picture was in the video."

"We need to talk to him and Viperine," Frankie said. "Let's go, guys and ghouls!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title comes from "Dark Passenger" by Motionless in White.


	2. When Every Loss, Every Beauty, Just Reminds You of the Past, How Can You Just Let Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team One meets Lamia and Seth, and they venture into one of the most dangerous aspects of Deuce's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Monster High or any of the songs used in the making of this story.

The same day, the group followed the wishes of Viperine and went to the Gorgons' house. It was three stories tall with large marble pillars and a long driveway. The architecture looked as if it came directly out of a Greek travel brochure. Frankie rang the doorbell, and Viperine answered soon after with a smile.

"So glad you could make it! Everyone's upstairs," Viperine said, opening the white door wider so that the group could enter. As everyone headed upstairs, Viperine grabbed Frankie's wrist. "Don't be surprised if he doesn't say anything," she whispered. "Don't be surprised if he gets upset or if he leaves. It's a sore subject, and I don't think he wants all his friends knowing about it." Frankie nodded.

At the same time, Draculaura, Cleo, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Abbey, Ghoulia, Operetta, Jackson, and Clawd walked into a doorway to see Deuce, Seth, and the white-haired girl sitting on a couch, each staring at the screen in front of them. They were in the middle of a race on MarioKart.

"Don't you do it," the girl said. "Don't you f*cking throw that red shell at me."

"Bet," Seth said, a smile stretching across his face slyly.

"Don't you- d*mn it!" On the screen, Toad threw a red shell at Princess Daisy, who spun around after being hit. "I told you not to throw the shell at me!"

"Well, who else was I going to throw it to? Deuce is all the way up there!" Seth said.

"Hey, don't blame me," Deuce said. His character, Luigi, was towards the end of the track, much farther away from everyone else. He drifted on his motorcycle around the corner. "It's not my fault you guys suck at this game."

"That's not fair," Seth said. "You hit us both with lightning at the start of the race. Lamia, get out of my way!" Toad and Princess Daisy bumped up against each other as the computer-controlled characters zoomed ahead of them.

"Oh...poor baby," Lamia said sarcastically, rolling her crystal eyes. Suddenly, Clawdeen cleared her throat.

"I hate to interrupt your bonding time...if that's even what this is," Clawdeen started. Seth smirked and did a slipstream past Princess Daisy, passing her just before crossing the finish line. "But we were told to come here."

"When'd you get here?" Lamia asked.

"About a minute or two ago," Clawd answered. "We didn't see much."

"Hm," Lamia replied, "That's nice."

"I can't believe you guys started without me," Viperine said, entering the room. She grabbed her controller just as her character, Pink Gold Peach, crossed the finish line in last place.

"Sucks to be you," Seth said. "You didn't miss anything. Just Lamia's rant about Luigi."

"He's tasteless and boring," Lamia said.

"Why don't you like him? It fits your personality perfectly!" Lamia reached over and grabbed a fistful of her brother's snakes, yanking on them as he let out a shriek. His snakes snapped and bit Lamia's wrist repeatedly until the skin became soaked with blood. Even after Draculaura passed out, Lamia kept a vice grip on the snakes. Right after, Frankie entered the room to see Seth slap Lamia's arm and Lamia pull harder.

"I, uh...Who are you?" Frankie asked, not knowing what else to do or say.

"Your new favorite eye candy," Seth said jokingly. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" he cried quickly. "Don't pull!"

"And his partner in crime," Lamia answered to Frankie, grabbing Seth's ear in the process.

"And she's trying to murder me, so stop killing the moment!" Seth said. Lamia slapped her hand over his mouth and was rewarded with a bite. She let out a sharp yelp before removing her hand, looking at the damage he'd caused.

"Do you see this?" Lamia screeched, shoving her hand in Seth's face. "That's f*cking blood. And on my wrist? Even more." Seth shrugged.

"Meh. I've seen worse." Lamia slapped him, getting blood on his cheek, which he quickly wiped off.

"Um...guys," Frankie nudged.

"How is Mom even letting you out of the house when you act like this?"

"How are _you_ not on a dog leash?"

"Hello..?"

"Seth! Hold still so I can kill you!"

" _That_ makes me wanna hold still!"

"Guys!" Viperine interrupted, "We have company!"

"Why can't you be more like-"

"Listen!" Frankie yelled, silencing all of them. "Who are you really?"

Deuce pointed to Seth. "That's Seth," he said, as Seth held up his index and middle finger. "And this is Lamia. They're my cousins."

"Why?" Lamia asked, crossing her tattooed arms.

"We're doing a project," Lagoona replied. "We were told you can tell us about Madison." The Gorgons looked around at each other, unsure of what to say or even if they should say anything at all. After an awkward silence, Lamia let out a forced laugh.

"Now, that's...something."

"Can you help us?" Draculaura asked, having just awoke. Lamia and Seth looked at each other wordlessly before looking at Deuce. He closed his eyes and shook his head in a "do whatever" manner before looking the other way.

"That's...uh...quite an interesting subject," Seth started slowly. "May I ask how it started?"

"There were tapes," Ghoulia groaned. "You performed in the one our teacher assigned."

"Music Festival," Seth whispered to himself. "Should we start there then?" He asked his sister and cousin. Deuce stood up.

"Do whatever. I don't want to be in this conversation. Not now anyway," he said as he left the room. Everyone's eyes followed him out before Lamia shook her head.

"Don't bother. He'll come around eventually." She too stood up. "We never got your names, which are kinda mandatory if we're helping you." She looked down the line of monsters before stopping on Cleo. "You." She squinted. "You look really familiar. Do I know you from anywhere?"

"I'm Deuce's ghoulfriend," Cleo answered. Lamia shook her head.

"Yes, but no. I feel like I've seen your face before... somewhere else..."

"Lamia!" Seth interrupted Lamia's train of thought. "Stop being creepy!"

"No! Doesn't she look like someone we know?"

"No."

"Think about it."

"A bit, but I'm not sure. I don't know."

"And you!" Lamia said, pointing to Operetta. Operetta raised her eyebrows. "You look familiar too!"

"I reckon you do too," Operetta said with a smirk. "Did y'all happen to compete in Music Festival?"

"Hell yeah I did!" Lamia grinned.

"Did you win?" Operetta asked, smirking in return as if she already knew the answer.

"Sure did."

"I know y'all! I just needed a wake-up call, but I remember!" Operetta exclaimed with a smile.

"You look recognizable as well," Seth said to Clawd.

"You two were pissing and crossed streams," Lamia joked.

"What?! No!" Seth cried. "That doesn't happen unless it's deliberate!"

"The zombie looks familiar too," Lamia continued. "Okay, sorry. Names please!"

"I'm Frankie. Frankie Stein," Frankie said with a wave.

"Draculaura!"

"I'm Clawdeen. Clawd is my brother."

Clawd raised a furry paw. "I'm Clawd."

"Ghoulia Yelps," she groaned. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet ya, mates! I'm Lagoona Blue!"

"Jackson Jekyll."

"I'm Operetta, but you already knew that."

"See!" Lamia whacked Seth's arm. "I told you she looked familiar!"

"Abbey," the yeti continued.

"Cl-"

"Seth!" Lamia interrupted the mummy. "What are you doing?" Everyone turned to see Seth looking out the window.

"Theía Medusa's home."

"Tía Medusa's home already?" Viperine questioned, peeking out the window next to Seth. He nodded. Lamia hurried as well to the window to see Medusa exiting her car. She quickly yanked up the window and stuck her head out.

"Medusa!" Lamia yelled, only to be met with Medusa's glare. "You know, you shouldn't leave us alone all day. Do you know how inconsiderate it is? Godd**nit! Have some thought for your BABIES!" Medusa stuck up a middle finger, earning a laugh from Lamia and Seth.

"You aren't mine!" She yelled back, entering the house.

"I love her," Seth said, turning to look back at the group along with Viperine and Lamia.

"Not when she hits you with a f**king broom! Where does she even get it from anyway?" Lamia cried.

"It's her house. A lot of people have brooms in their homes," Viperine responded.

"To beat people with?" Lamia shrieked.

"Nah," Seth laughed. "The only person she's hit is you."

"I don't _need_ to be beaten with a wooden stick with pine needles on the end of it because I am a good, pure, perfect angel."

"Okay, sure. Whatever floats your boat." The door opened, and Medusa stepped in with the house phone in her hand.

"Lamia, do I even want to know why I'm getting voicemails asking for pot brownies?"

"Now, why are you so quick to blame me?!" Lamia said incredulously. Medusa rolled her eyes and gave her a look. "Alright, fair enough. I don't know why it's going to the house phone though. I must've been super stoned and gave them the wrong number." The gorgon woman rolled her eyes once more.

"Why doesn't that surprise me in the slightest?" She mumbled, shaking her head.

"This would make a wonderful story," Seth laughed. "Imagine telling Mom this."

"Oh, like hell you are! Euryale's gonna murder me, so don't think about saying a word," Medusa said. "She doesn't know half the stuff I let you get away with. And I intend for it to stay that way." Medusa gave one last look to her niece and nephew before exiting the room.

"Anyway, are you going to help us or no?" Abbey asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Lamia walked over to the group before staring directly at Frankie. "On Saturday, everyone gather at Frankie's house. Seth, Viperine, and I will come and we'll walk to her old house. We'll go take a tour through it. And wear sneakers!"

"Thanks, mate," Lagoona said. "Hopefully, we can find something."

"Believe me," Seth said. "You probably will."

"Hold on," Draculaura said, "Isn't Deuce coming with us?"

"Oh, no." Lamia shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Frankie inquired.

"No amount of persuasion will get him back into that house. You couldn't pay him a billion dollars to even step foot inside." Lamia shrugged. "And it's not like we can't give good information without him. We'll be fine. I just hope no one here gets queasy." She sent a quick look towards the short vampire. Frankie nodded, and everyone began leaving. "Wait!" The group halted in their tracks. "Where does Frankie live?" Frankie answered as Lamia typed it into her phone. They began leaving again before they were interrupted once more."Wait!"

"Oh my Ra! What is it?" Cleo groaned. Lamia tossed a small book to Frankie.

"Viperine will take it back later."

"What is it?" Clawd asked.

"It's Madison's diary. You can read it and see if it helps. At least someone should look into her story. It'll probably be your best piece of evidence if Deuce never gives you any firsthand accounts."

"Uh...Thanks?" Jackson said, looking at the small book.

"Oh! And don't tell Deuce!" Seth whispered.

"Why not?" Clawd asked.

"Just don't. It's for the better. I promise. Now, you can go." The group exited the room and left the house. As they walked home, Frankie found herself thinking about Operetta.

"Operetta," she began, "who is Madison?

"This ghoul I knew from Music Festival," Operetta answered. "It was when I lived in Louisiana. My friend, Fynn, and her both made it to Nationals. Only the judges and five people could go to Carnegie Hall. It was Madison, Deuce, Viperine, Lamia, and Seth. I remember it called for a duet, but only with someone who has performed a duet before in Music Festival with the lead singer. They did that because fifty states is a lot to go through, especially if the song isn't short. They needed to cut the amount in half. So Louisiana and lots of other states couldn't perform. Oregon could. Oregon and New York tied for the winner. New York was only there 'cause her daddy was top judge. She was gosh darn terrible! They did finals and Oregon won. Madison and her crew shoulda went to the final one- the one for World, but somethin' happened, and she couldn't attend." Frankie nodded. "We had to pick sides. I chose Maddie's, of course. Most of us did. We were good friends until we had to go back to our home states. I have Oregon's Nationals music." Operetta pulled out her phone and scrolled through her camera roll before finding the picture she wanted. She showed the group a picture of Madison. She had green mambas flowing down her back. Her lips were the color of raspberries, and her almond-shaped, emerald eyes were accented in light purple eye shadow. She wore a dark dress with a purple corset. The group stared at her in wonder.

"She's gorgeous," Lagoona said, breaking the silence. Operetta nodded with a smile.

"I wonder what happened to her," Operetta said, lost in thought.

"From the way they were all silent whenever we first brought it up, I think she died," Jackson said.

"Case closed," Cleo said. "Project done."

"We have to look into it, mate," Lagoona said.

"Agree with fish ghoul, Abbey said. "How did she die?"

Ghoulia groaned a response.

"Ghoulia's right," Clawdeen agreed. "We can't get a good grade if we just say she died."

"And we're presuming she died," Clawd added. "We don't really know that."

"Yeah!" Jackson agreed. "I mean, I met someone named Lolita who was in hiding. Maybe she is too."

"Wouldn't she be living with Deuce and his mom?" Cleo asked. "I mean, come on, really?"

"I don't reckon anyone at the school besides Viperine and Deuce knows," Operetta sighed.

"Are there other family we can ask?" Abbey asked. "Maybe father knows."

"Can't we ask him who his daddy is?" Frankie added.

"He's not too open about it," Jackson answered. "Heath asked him who his father was because 'who would have a kid with Medusa?' That ticked him off, and he wound up leaving the cafeteria. He wasn't in a good mood in the first place, but that really made it worse."

"Okay, the father killed her," Cleo concluded. "Case closed. Project done."

"Don't say that!" Draculaura cried. "We don't know that!"

"And I highly doubt that anyway," Clawd added.

"But who did kill her? And how did she die?" Frankie asked.

"This project is more complex than it looks," Clawdeen said.

"Why do you think Lamia said, 'You couldn't pay him a billion dollars to go back to that house'?" Lagoona asked her team.

"Think something bad must have happened- like fight between yak and snowman."

"I don't know, but there's got to be huge evidence there," Frankie sighed.

"Are we really going to go to her house on Saturday?" Cleo asked.

"I guess," Draculaura shrugged.

"Come on, guys, Frankie enthused. "We've a got a ghoul to learn about!"

* * *

On that Saturday, Seth, Viperine, and Lamia showed up at Frankie's house, where the group was already waiting.

"You ready?" Lamia asked, swinging a tie dye drawstring bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I think we all are," Frankie answered, nodding and looking towards her group.

"And everyone has sneakers on, right? Cause I just painted my nails and don't feel like slapping anyone for not listening," Lamia said, gazing at her talon-like nails, which were painted a shiny crimson.

"We're all good," Clawdeen said.

"Alright, then let's get this show on the road," Seth said. They all headed out of Frankie's home, and Cleo looked around the driveway.

"Um," She started, still looking around the house, "Where's the car?" Lamia laughed.

"Oh, we're not using a car," she said.

"Excuse me, what?" Cleo demanded. "What do you mean we aren't using a car? It's freezing!"

"I know!" Seth laughed. "I could key a car with my nipples out here!" Lamia laughed and playfully smacked his arm. "No, but seriously. It's not that cold."

"And we're walking for a reason," Lamia added. Cleo groaned.

"Well, how far away is this place?" Lamia thought for a moment.

"Maybe, oh, I dunno-"

"Three or four miles," Viperine interrupted. Cleo's eyes bulged.

"And...we're walking...?"

"Yes because we have a point for this, remember?" Seth grinned.

"Deuce and Madison would walk _everywhere_ ," Viperine said, putting emphasis on "everywhere." "It'd take about an hour and a half to get school. And two hours to get to the music store. What felt like forever to get to the airport."

"Yeah," Seth agreed. "But the music store was pretty important. If you read the diary, you'll know why."

"Well," Frankie said, "we didn't read it yet."

"That's fine," Seth shrugged.

"So..." Draculaura started, "Deuce didn't want to come?"

"He texted me saying him and a few of his group members are spending the day working on the project, like us," Cleo answered.

"A few?" Frankie interrogated.

"I think he said him, Gil, Invisi Billy, Scarah, Robecca, and Slo Mo," Cleo answered.

"Also, I told you yesterday that he wouldn't go for a billion dollars," Lamia said.

"But it's a house," Clawdeen said.

"Not to him it's not," Viperine mumbled, looking down.

"Maddie used to say, 'There are secrets in that house we don't tell,'" Lamia quoted. "So do not tell Deuce we're coming here."

"Why not?" Frankie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It would kill him," Seth said, seriousness etched across his face. "And we're not even supposed to tell you guys about this place."

"It's just another secret," Lamia said.

"But haven't you heard that saying?" Cleo said. "Secrets, secrets are no fun unless you share with everyone."

"What, are you in middle school?" Seth asked. "No one says that."

"I want to show you all something," Lamia said, changing the subject. She took out her phone and went through her camera roll, scrolling through pictures and videos galore. She finally reached a certain video, hit play, and handed the phone to Frankie. Everyone watched the screen as they continued to walk. "I made a combination of all of our Music Festival songs after she died." Jackson pulled out a pair of earplugs and simply watched the video.

On the phone, a six-year-old Madison and Deuce appeared on the screen. Deuce was sitting in a metal chair, a guitar across his lap. He began strumming as Madison lifted the microphone to her lips. "I still remember the world from the eyes of a child. Slowly those feelings were clouded by what I know now." Her voice was smooth like silk. "Where has my heart gone? An uneven trade for the real world. Oh, I...I want to go back to believing in everything and knowing nothing at all."

"She's...magnificent," Draculaura said in awe.

"Definitely," Lamia said, her eyes still attached to the screen.

"I still remember the sun always warm on my back, Madison sang. "Somehow it seems colder now. Where has my heart gone? Trapped in the eyes of a stranger. Oh, I...I want to go back to believing in everything." Madison put the microphone into a stand on a piano and began playing, her fingers gently dancing on each note. She stopped singing, but there was a voice in the background singing. "Iesu, Rex admirabilis. Et triumphator nobilis, Dulcedo ineffabilis, Totus desiderabilis." Madison continued singing once the voice stopped. "Where has my heart gone? An uneven trade for the real world. Oh, I...I want to go back to believing in everything. Oh, where? Where has my heart gone? Trapped in the eyes of a stranger. Oh, I...I want to go back to believing in everything. I still remember..." Madison and Deuce were rewarded with a standing ovation from the crowd and judges. They walked off the stage. The next scene, Madison and Deuce were on stage with Seth and Lamia. Seth sat behind the drumset, Lamia had a bass guitar, Deuce had an electric guitar and a microphone, and Madison had a microphone and keyboard.

"Oh!" Abbey exclaimed. "You were there too!"

"Yep," Seth said wistfully.

"You're too important for anyone," Madison sang with the same silky vocals. "You play the role of all you long to be. But I, I know who you really are. You're the one who cries when you're alone. But where will you go? With no one left to save you from yourself. You can't escape. You can't escape."

"This is much better than the first one in my opinion," Clawdeen said. Draculaura nodded.

"You think that I can't see right through your eyes," Madison sang. "Scared to death to face reality. No one seems to hear your hidden cries. You're left to face yourself alone. But where will you go?" Deuce leaned into the microphone while continuing to play the guitar.

"Where will you go?" He sang quietly as background, his voice as smooth as his sister's.

"With no one left to save you from yourself. You can't escape the truth. I realize you're afraid."

"I realize."

"But you can't abandon everyone. You can't escape. You don't want to escape." Everyone stopped playing except Madison, who played her keyboard and sang, "I'm so sick of speaking words that no one understands. Is it clear enough that you can't live your whole life all alone? I can hear you in a whisper, but you can't even hear me screaming." She took a deep breath, and everyone continued playing. "Where will you go?"

"Where will you go?" Deuce sang.

"With no one left to save you from yourself!" Her voice was stronger than it first was, and the group raised their eyebrows in shock. "You can't escape the truth. I realize you're afraid."

"I realize."

"But you can't reject the whole world!" Her strong pipes sent chills down everyone's limbs.

"Whoa," Clawd said.

"You can't escape. You won't escape. You can't escape. You don't want to escape," she sang. Her and Deuce sang together a few chords before ending the song and receiving a loud applause. In the next scene, just Madison and Deuce were on the stage. Deuce sat at the piano as Madison took center of the stage with only a microphone. Deuce began playing piano, setting a melancholy atmosphere.

"I'm excited for this one!" Draculaura smiled.

"This is one of my favorites," Seth responded.

"Under your spell again. I can't say no to you," Madison sang, head down. "Crave my heart and it's bleeding in your hand. I can't say no to you. Shouldn't let you torture me so sweetly. Now I can't let go of this dream. I can't breathe, but I feel..." She took a deep breath. "Good enough. I feel good enough for you."

"Something tells me," Clawdeen said, "that this song's meaning isn't good."

"You're not wrong," Lamia laughed.

"Drink up sweet decadence. I can't say no to you," Madison continued. "And I've completely lost myself, and I don't mind! I can't say no to you!" Chills returned as her powerful pipes returned unexpectedly. "Shouldn't let you conquer me completely," she sang, returning to the less strong vocals she just had. "Now I can't let go of this dream. Can't believe that I feel...Good enough. I feel good enough. It's been such a long time coming, but I feel good."

"Here's the best part," Seth said.

"And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall. Pour real life down on me. 'Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough. Am I good enough for you to love me too?" Frankie found herself crying.

"That's...wow," Frankie said.

"So take care what you ask of me, 'cause I can't say no," Madison sang as Deuce hit the last chord on the piano.

"Oh, yeah," Clawdeen said, "Definitely not a good meaning." The crowd cheered wildly once more as the duo walked offstage. The next scene was still just Deuce and Madison. Deuce had an acoustic guitar, and his sister had a microphone.

"Pay attention to this one," Seth said. "It's really cool." Deuce began strumming his guitar.

"I can't run anymore," Madison sang. "I fall before you. Here I am. I have nothing left. Though I've tried to forget, you're all that I am. Take me home. I'm through fighting it. Broken. Lifeless. I give up. You're my only strength. Without you, I can't go on anymore ever again." She took a breath. "My only hope." As she sang, another voice came through.

"All the times I've tried," the voice sang at the same time as Madison.

"My only peace," Madison sang.

"To walk away from you."

"My only joy. My only strength."

"I fall into your abounding grace."

"My only power. My only life."

"And love is where I am."

"My only love," Madison sang.

"Whoa!" Frankie exclaimed.

"What was that?" Abbey asked.

"Watch," Viperine said, smiling.

"I can't run anymore. I give myself to you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. In all my bitterness, I ignored all that's real and true. All I need is you. When night falls on me, I'll not close my eyes, I'm too alive. And you're too strong. I can't lie anymore. I fall down before you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. My only hope."

"All the times I've tried."

"My only peace."

"To walk away from you."

"My only joy. My only strength."

"I fall into your abounding grace."

"My only power. My only life."

"And love is where I am."

"My only love," Madison sang. She soon turned grim. "Constantly ignoring. The pain consuming me, but this time it's cut too deep. I'll never stray again." Deuce changed keys on his guitar. "My only hope."

"All the times I've tried."

"My only peace."

"To walk away from you."

"My only joy. My only strength."

"I fall into your abounding grace."

"My only power. My only life."

"And love is where I am."

"My only love. My only hope."

"All the times I've tried."

"My only peace."

"To walk away from you."

"My only joy. My only strength."

"I fall into your abounding grace."

"My only power. My only life."

"And love is where I am."

"My only love," Madison ended. The crowd and judges applauded loudly, and Madison and Deuce walked off stage. In the next scene, Madison appeared to be the only one on stage. She sat at a grand piano with a microphone on a stand on the piano. There was only a single spotlight on her, and the rest of the room was dark.

"Oh, this one's cool!" Seth said.

"At Nationals, one of our competitions, we were supposed to choose a song we'd already done and turn it into a music video," Lamia added. "We chose this one, and it turned out amazing."

"You won first place for that one, didn't you?" Operetta asked. Lamia and Seth nodded. Madison began playing the piano. It was dark, as if it were a creepy doll's music box.

"You don't remember my name," Madison said. "I don't really care." She batted her long, dark eyelashes and smiled. "Can we play the game your way?" Madison sang. "Can I really lose control?"

As the music quickly flipped from soft piano to much heavier music, the lights quickly turned on to reveal Deuce playing electric guitar, Lamia on bass, and Seth on drums. "Just once in my life, I think it'd be nice, just to lose control, just once. With all the pretty flowers in the dust."

The music flipped back to the piano. Lights went out again with the only light on Maddie. "Mary had a lamb," she sang. Abbey scoffed.

"Why add nursery rhyme? Seems odd," she said.

"One of the judges, Jacob, had the same response," Seth said. "Just wait."

"His eyes black as coals," Madison sang.

"This next part, Madison quoted directly from her dad," Lamia said.

"If we play very quiet, my lamb, Mary never has to know," she sang.

Frankie choked on air. "What?!" She squeaked.

"When Madison was reaaaaaaally young, she remembers Mark telling her this just before he had his way with her," Seth said. "But in his drunken state, he called Medusa 'Mary.'"

"Oh my Ra," Cleo mumbled.

"Just once in my life, I think it'd be nice," Madison sang as the lights and music flipped. "Just to lose control, just once. With all the pretty flowers." She became solemn and serious. "If I cut you down to a thing I can use, I fear there will be nothing good left of you." She began playing piano as she sang, and the music got quieter and quieter. They received a standing ovation before walking offstage, with only Madison and Deuce returning in the next scene. Deuce sat at the piano, and Madison stood beside him with only a microphone in her hand. Unlike the other performances, Madison's dress was sleeveless, revealing her bruised arms.

"This one's good," Viperine said. "Sad, but really good."

"Sparkling grey. They're my own veins," Madison sang. "Any more than a whisper, any sudden movement of my heart, and I know, I know I'll have to watch them pass away. Just get through this day." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Give up your way. You could be anything. Give up my way, and lose myself. Not today. That's too much guilt to pay." She inhaled, her hands shaking as she gripped the microphone tighter. "Sickened in the sun. You dare tell me you love me!" The anger in her voice presented itself, and Deuce looked over at her. "But you held me down and screamed you wanted me to die!" The anger turned to sadness, and she sang, "Honey, you know, you know I'd never hurt you that way. 'You're just so pretty in your pain.'"

"Oh my ghoul," Frankie gasped.

"That's..." Lagoona started.

"Wow," Clawdeen sighed.

"Give up my way, and I could be anything." Madison looked up, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears forming in her eyes. "I'll make my own way without your senseless hate...hate...hate...hate." This time, she let tears fall. "So run, run, run and hate me, if it feels good. I can't hear your screams anymore. You lied to me, but I'm older now, and I'm not buying, baby. Demanding my response. Don't bother breaking the door down. I found my way out and you'll never hurt me again." The audience cheered and clapped, and some were crying. Deuce and Maddie stepped off stage, but they entered it again in the next scene with Seth and Lamia. Madison had a slit going through her right cheek.

"Don't expect this one to be any better," Viperine said, wiping a tear from her right eye. "Because it's not."

The song began with whispers, and Madison looked out into the crowd wistfully. "Please, please forgive me, but I won't be home again. Maybe someday you'll look up, and barely conscious, you'll say to no one, 'Isn't something missing?'" The music began playing as Madison continued, "You won't cry for my absence, I know- You forgot me long ago. Am I that unimportant? Am I so insignificant? Isn't something missing? Isn't someone missing me?"

"Do you think she thinks about that now?" Clawdeen asked slowly and cautiously.

"I don't know," Lagoona sighed. "All I know is that this is making me for horrible because we're pretty sure she died, and none of us even knew she existed. Only Operetta, and even she didn't remember her at first."

"Even though I'm the sacrifice, you won't try for me, not now," Madison sang. "Though I'd die to know you love me, I'm all alone. Isn't someone missing me?" Frankie felt her stomach lurch forward.

"Oh ghoul."

"Please, please forgive me, but I won't be home again. I know what you do to yourself. I breathe deep and cry out, "Isn't something missing? Isn't someone missing me?" Even though I'm the sacrifice, you won't try for me, not now. Though I'd die to know you love me, I'm all alone. Isn't someone missing me?" A key change occurred, and Madison's vocals became stronger. "And if I bleed, I'll bleed, knowing you don't care. And if I sleep just to dream of you, I'll wake without you there."

"I feel horrible," Clawd spoke. "This is making me sick to my stomach."

"Isn't something missing? Isn't something... Even though I'm the sacrifice, you won't try for me, not now. Though I'd die to know you love me, I'm all alone. Isn't someone missing me?" The crowd cheered, and the next scene is at Monster High's auditorium. The judges are Headless Headmistress Bloodgood, Mr. Hack, and Mr. Rotter. Lamia, Seth, Deuce, and Madison are all on the stage. The music began, and Deuce was leaned into the microphone on the stand as he continued to strum his guitar.

"I'm just a step away. I'm just a breath away. Losin' my faith today," he sang. His voice was much deeper than it was in the second song, but it was smoother and more matured, producing a better sound.

"Fallin' off the edge today," Madison joined in, her own vocals just as strong as her brother's.

"I am just a man, not superhuman."

"I'm not superhuman."

"Someone save me from the hate. It's just another war. Just another family torn."

"Falling from my faith today."

"Just a step from the edge. Just another day in the world we live. I need a hero to save me now! I need a hero!"

"Save me now!"

"I need a hero to save my life! A hero'll save me!"

"Just in time!"

"How old is he?" Cleo asked.

"Um," Seth thought. "Twelve? Thirteen?"

"With a voice like that..." Frankie droned off.

"I've gotta fight today to live another day. Speakin' my mind today," Deuce sang.

"My voice will be heard today," Madison joined in.

"I've gotta make a stand, but I am just a man."

"I'm not superhuman."

"My voice will be heard today! It's just another war. Just another family torn."

"My voice will be heard today."

"It's just another kill. The countdown begins to destroy ourselves. I need a hero to save me now! I need a hero!"

"Save me now!"

"I need a hero to save my life! A hero'll save me!"

"Just in time!"

"I need a hero to save my life. I need a hero just in time. Save me just in time. Save me just in time."

"Who's gonna fight for what's right? Who's gonna help us survive?" Deuce and Madison sang together, their voices blending together nicely.

"We're in the fight of our lives!" Deuce sang.

"And we're not ready to die!" Madison returned.

"Who's gonna fight for the weak?" They sang together. "Who's gonna make 'em believe?"

"I've got a hero!" Deuce sang.

"I've got a hero!" Madison echoed.

"Livin' in me!"

"I'm gonna fight for what's right! Today I'm speaking my mind!" Both sang.

"And if it kills me tonight!" Deuce sang.

"I will be ready to die."

"A hero's not afraid to give his life."

"A hero's gonna save me just in time!" They sang together.

"I need a hero to save me now! I need a hero!" Deuce sang.

"Save me now!"

"I need a hero to save my life! A hero'll save me!"

"Just in time!"

"I need a hero. Who's gonna fight for what's right? Who's gonna help us survive? I need a hero. Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe? I need a hero. I need a hero."

"A hero's gonna save me just in time!" The duo ended together. The crowd cheered loudly and gave a standing ovation.

"Fun fact," Seth said. "Deuce can't stand this song."

"Wait, really?" Frankie asked. "But he sounded so good!"

"Nope. Can't stand it," Seth answered. "He thinks it's too repetitive and the lyrics aren't strong enough. But Madison liked it and wanted him to sing it with her for the county competition. And he can't say no to her." The video continued, and the location is now a bar. Madison, Deuce, Seth, and Lamia were all on stage.

"This one is a favorite of a large portion of judges at the Music Festival Nationals," Lamia said. "But Madison almost didn't make it through the song."

"Why?" Ghoulia groaned.

"The state competition took place at a bar- the same bar that Mark goes to," Seth said. "If you look closely, you can see him in the video. He didn't know that they went to Music Festival, not to mention every year, the judges choose a theme. Some are "abandonment" or "problems" or "child's view." Whatever. This time, it was to use a quote someone who's impacted your life told you. It can be someone who impacted you positively or negatively. But you needed a quote from them, and it had to be the chorus. So Deuce and Madison chose a quote from Mark before realizing they'd be playing at the bar Mark was sitting and watching them in. All that just gave Madison a panic attack in the middle of the song." Everyone looked at the phone. The music began, and Madison's hands were shaking. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before singing.

"Who's Mark?" Abbey asked.

"That's her and Deuce's dad," Viperine answered.

The group nodded, their eyes glued to the screen.

"Stoplight, lock the door. Don't look back. Undress in the dark, and hide from you. All of you." She grabbed the microphone tighter until her knuckles are white. "You'll never know the way your words have haunted me. I can't believe you'd ask these things of me. You don't know me. Now or never." Suddenly, she lurched forward, almost hitting her knees on the stage. Tears sprout from her emerald eyes, and her powerful voice wavers as she sings, unknowingly sending chills down all the audience's spines. "You belong to me, my snow white queen. There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over. Soon I know you'll see, you're just like me. Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you."

"Wait," Clawd interrupted. "Was that the chorus?" Seth and Lamia nodded. "Her father said that to her?!"

"Unfortunately," Viperine said.

"Wake up in a dream. Frozen fear. All your hands on me." Her voice staggered, but she continued singing. "I can't scream. I can't scream. I can't escape the twisted way you think of me. I feel you in my dreams and I don't sleep. I don't sleep!" She cried harder, her hands shaking violently.

"I hate this," Lagoona mumbled. "This isn't right."

"You belong to me, my snow white queen. There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over. Soon I know you'll see, you're just like me. Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you." Madison's hands shook so badly that she had to put the microphone in the stand before she dropped it. "I can't save your life, though nothing I bleed for is more tormenting."

"She went off script here," Seth said quickly.

"I'm losing my mind!" Deuce, Seth, and Lamia looked at each other with panic in their eyes in the video, gazing to Madison every few moments. Madison's hands kept shaking and her voice cracked with raw emotion, but she kept singing. "And you just stand there and stare as my world divides!" She stared out the crowd with wet eyes after gathering herself. "You belong to me, my snow white queen. There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over. Soon I know you'll see, you're just like me. Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you." She landed on her knees before burying her shaking hands in her snakes, her nails digging into her scalp. Everyone cheered loudly as Deuce hurried out to grab his sister and pull her off her knees. He helped her off the stage, and her legs were wobbly. Seth and Lamia followed off as well.

"Was...was she okay?" Frankie asked.

"Yeah," Lamia nodded. "After her medicine, she was fine. Just shaken up." The video continued, and the scene changed to the Carnegie Hall stage. Maddie, Deuce, Lamia, and Seth were on stage, and each had their designated instrument while Madison and Deuce had microphones. The music began, and with shaky hands, Deuce raised the microphone to his lips.

"Death surrounds. My heartbeat's slowing down. I won't take this world's abuse. I won't give up, I refuse! This is how it feels when you're bent and broken. This is how it feels when your dignity's stolen. When everything you love is leaving, you hold on to what you believe in." His voice is strong and smooth like usual.

"The last thing I heard," Madison sang, "was you whispering goodbye and then I heard you flat line."

"No, not gonna die tonight!" Deuce sang.

"We're gonna stand and fight forever!" The duo's voices blended together to create the powerful atmosphere.

"Don't close your eyes!" Madison sang.

"No, not gonna die tonight!" Deuce sang in return.

"We're gonna fight for us together!" Both sang.

"No, we're not gonna die tonight!" Deuce backed away from the microphone and focused on his guitar for a moment before leaning back in. "Break their hold 'cause I won't be controlled. They can't keep their chains on me when the truth has set me free! This is how it feels when you take your life back. This is how it feels when you finally fight back. When life pushes me, I push harder. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

"The last thing I heard was you whispering goodbye and then I heard you flat line," Madison sang once more.

"No, not gonna die tonight!"

"We're gonna stand and fight forever!" They sang together.

"Don't close your eyes!" The younger gorgon sang.

"No, not gonna die tonight!" Her brother retorted.

"We're gonna fight for us together!" Deuce and Madison sang.

"No, we're not gonna die tonight! Don't you give up on me!" Deuce sang before taking a deep breath. "You're everything I need!"

"This is how it feels when you take your life back!" The siblings sang. "This is how it feels when you fight back!"

"No," the older brother sang, "not gonna die tonight!"

"We're gonna stand and fight forever!" They both sang.

"Don't close your eyes!" Madison sang.

"No, not gonna die tonight!"

"We're gonna fight for us together!" The siblings sang again.

"No, we're not gonna die tonight! No, we're not gonna die tonight!" Deuce sang. "Not gonna die."

"Not gonna die," Madison echoed.

"Not gonna die."

"Not gonna die!"

"Not gonna die tonight!" Deuce ended. The crowd went crazy with excitement. The noisy audience gave a standing ovation before the scene changed. They were still in Carnegie Hall, and all four were on the stage.

"Judges didn't vote on this song," Lamia said. "The bias was too great- greater than the other team's performance, so Jacob said the audience should vote for the winners." The music began playing as Deuce stepped towards the microphone on the stand.

"The world around me is lost in misery. The only good I've got in my life is you. No meaning. No other reason. When everything feels wrong, I feel right with you."

"So madly, desperate, deeply obsessed," Madison sang. "Your love is better than mine to me. Can I have this moment forever?"

"Take me to the beginning."

"You are what I believe," the siblings sang. "I'll live and die for you. This is all that I need."

"When nothing is real," Deuce sang, "you are my truth."

"In the darkness, you shine," Madison followed. "Can you keep me safe tonight?"

"When I'm down on my knees, you are what I believe," they sang together.

"When we started whole-hearted," the male sang, "I never needed anything or anyone else. I was broken– you made me whole again. The only one I trusted more than myself."

"So madly, desperate, deeply. I will live for you completely. Can I have this moment forever?"

"Take me to the beginning."

"You are what I believe," both sang. "I'll live and die for you. This is all that I need. When nothing is real, you are my truth."

"In the darkness, you shine. Can you keep me safe tonight?" Madison's pipes sent chills down everyone's arms and legs.

"When I'm down on my knees, you are what I believe. Believe in your love. Believe in your life. Believe that you can put me back together on the inside." The duo smiled at the audience before Deuce let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Chase all the fear away," he sang.

"Every time I speak your name," his sister sang.

"Take me– you are what I believe!"

"You are what I believe," the duo sang. "I'll live and die for you. This is all that I need. When nothing is real, you are my truth."

"In the darkness, you shine. Can you keep me safe tonight?" Madison sang.

"When I'm down on my knees, you are what I believe," both sang one last time, ending the song. There was a loud applause and standing ovation before the video ended. The group walked in silence for a moment as Lamia put her phone away. Suddenly, Frankie broke the silence.

"Wow," she said, trailing off at the end.

"She's amazing," Draculaura agreed.

"Fur real!" Clawdeen said, nodding.

"I never knew Deuce had a voice like that," her brother added. Jackson pulled the earplugs out of his ears.

"And speaking of Deuce, we're here!" Lamia said. "Home 'sweet' home." She used her fingers to make quotations marks on 'sweet'. Everyone stopped to look at the abandoned house that was surrounded by old, dirty, molding police tape. The house was two stories tall and was white with red bricks and windows. It was stained with dirt and was in desperate need of a pressure washing. Ivy grew along the sides of the house. There were whitish-yellow flowers on the sides of the house that hung downwards with the stigma of the flower facing the ground. Speaking of, the ground was covered in dying grass that appeared in patches, the rest being just dirt.

"This house..." Cleo mumbled, "seems vaguely familiar."

"Huh," the white-haired gorgon said with a shrug. "Wonder why."

"Okay," Seth stopped in his tracks. The group turned to look at him. "Simple rules that would be smart to follow when entering the house. I suggest not eating or drinking absolutely anything in this house."

"You can touch whatever your courageous, little heart pleases," Lamia said. "But seriously. Don't eat or drink anything here." She began walking towards the house.

"Why would we do that?" Cleo asked. "This house is obviously abandoned."

Lamia laughed. "Hey, I don't know what you put in your mouths in your spare time."

"Oh-ho-ho...I do," Seth said with a wink as he looked at his older sister. She smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow! Hey!"

"Oh, and nothing is as it seems," Lamia added.

"And blood is everywhere you look," Viperine finished. With one word, Draculaura fainted, only to be caught bridal-style by her boyfriend. Lamia lifted up the caution tape, and everyone ducked under.

"Those flowers are so pretty," Frankie said, motioning to the white flowers that drooped to the ground. She reached out to pick one and was immediately rewarded with a smack on the hand by Lamia. "Ow!"

"No!" Lamia yelled, smacking her hand again. "Bad dog!"

"I just wanted a- ow! Stop smacking me!"

"Those don't need to be picked. Especially by a young, innocent girl like you," Lamia said, whipping her hair back. Her snakes shook their heads, as if they were agreeing with her. "Don't be deceived. Those aren't flowers."

"Well, then what are they?" Frankie asked, rubbing her right hand with the other.

"They're drugs, babyface," Lamia answered, looking up at the plant.

"Devil's Breath," Seth said. "It's really weird because it can cause amnesia. It's a tasteless and odorless powder that can be blown into a victim's face. Once that happens, the victim will do anything you say and the worst part is they won't remember any of it the next day."

"Found mostly in Columbia," Lamia added. "It's a wonder how she got them to grow here. And an even bigger wonder that no one got rid of these yet."

"She? Who? Madison?" Abbey asked confused.

"Oh, no! No, absolutely not," Lamia said quickly. "Not in a millennium. Marisa though..."

"Who's Marisa?" Frankie asked, only to be ignored by Lamia, who was heading up the stairs to the porch and front door. Ghoulia pulled out a recorder, recording the scene around her. Lamia stopped at the door and turned to the group behind her, who was also making their way up the stairs.

"Keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at all times," she said in a masculine monotone. "Remember the rules and stick together. Enjoy the ride!" She pushed the wooden door open, and it almost fell off its rusty hinges. "Honey!" she called to nobody. "I'm home!" A glass bottle fell off a shelf and broke on the floor.

"Wh-what was that?" Frankie asked.

"Just a little echo. Nothing to worry about, " Lamia shrugged, making her way into the house. Frankie looked over at Lagoona, who shrugged and followed the gorgon. The room they were in was a carpeted living room with stained, white walls. Most stains were either dark red or brown. There was a brown recliner with tears going through it sitting next to a couch with the same bad quality. Beer cans and bottles were littered around the room, some intact and some broken. Papers sat at the coffee table, and the television suffered from a broken screen.

Almost immediately, Clawdeen pinched her nose. "Why does it smell like that in here?"

"I know," Clawd said, pulling his shirt up to cover his sensitive nose. "It smells disgusting."

Viperine turned to look at them, her eyebrows lowering down to her sad eyes. "Just you wait. The smell is only the beginning."

Lamia passed the living room and went to the room next door. "This here is the kitchen," she said. The backsplash was white tile, and the floor was tile as well. Multiple papers, especially passed-due bills, were piled on top of each other in a mountain of paper and dust on the countertops. The sink was filled with dirty dishes with caked on food that hadn't been cleaned in years. Most everything was stained with blood.

"Why is there so much blood in here?" Jackson asked, pushing his glasses up further onto his nose nervously.

"And amber fluid too," Lagoona said, kicking a beer can gently. "All you can smell is that and durries."

"And blood," Frankie whispered to herself. Clawdeen and Clawd nodded in agreement, still holding their noses.

"Lips are sealed," Seth said. "We told you we'd help, but it's for your own good that you don't know."

"And it's good for us too," Lamia mumbled quietly before making her way to containers sitting on the counter. She opened three of them up. "Come look," she called. The group walked to the gorgon girl. "Look what they had disguised as kitchen necessities." She pointed to the first container. "Cocaine as flour." She pointed to the second container. "Marijuana as tea." She pointed to the third container. "Crystal meth as sugar." She closed the containers. "How crafty."

"What is this you speak of?" Abbey asked curiously.

"Drugs," Operetta answered solemnly.

"Look at you go!" Lamia said with a smile. "So smart!"

"Alright," Viperine interrupted. She frowned, peering around the room. "Let's move on. Basement?"

"No." Everyone looked at Seth, who had a large frown etched across his face. "They don't need to see that."

"I think it'd be a great help," Lamia said, leaning into Seth's face.

"Llama," Seth urged, his teeth gritted.

"It'll be fine," she said, shaking him off. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him." Her brother rolled his stormy gray eyes but arched his eyebrows in sadness and pity. Lamia walked out of the kitchen and through the living room. She opened a door to the left and went down the stairs, everyone else following suit. The floor of the basement was smooth, gray concrete covered in dried blood, shards of glass, and dust. The walls were white and stained with blood as well. One wall was a mirror, but it was completely shattered. There was a small closet off to the side.

"Is there a single room without shards of glass and blood?" Ghoulia groaned.

"She's right," Clawdeen agreed. "This place has it everywhere!"

"Why do you think I told you to wear sneakers?" Lamia retorted. She turned her head to see Seth heading to the closet. She followed and stood beside him as her brother crouched down to the door and opened it. The room was roughly three feet by two feet and was drenched in blood that streaked the walls and inside of the door and pooled up on the floor. Scratch marks lined the wooden door.

"F*ck," Seth muttered to himeself. He ran his fingers through his brown snakes. "I forgot how bad it was."

"What's that?" Frankie asked, coming up behind the siblings.

"A closet," Lamia said sarcastically. Frankie gave her a look before the gorgon walked back to the team.

"Where did the glass come from anyway?" Clawd questioned.

"Old bottles that were filled with alcohol," Seth answered, standing to his feet and turning away from the closet and to the crowd of monsters. "Beer, wine, ouzo, vodka, scotch, booze, gin. Some imported. Some illegal. Some old. All alcohol."

"Oh my my my," Lagoona mumbled to herself.

"I want to leave here."

"Alright," Viperine said, nodding. "Let's go." They headed up the stairs to the living room. They went up another flight that took them upstairs. After going down the hall, they entered an old bedroom with stark white walls and some blood here and there but not as much as the other rooms. The room was simple, plain, and practically empty, with only a single poster hanging up on the wall. Bottles of medicine sat on the dressers, and a window was cut into the wall. There was another door besides the entrance, leading to the bathroom. There was only one bed, and an old, black hoodie hung off the headboard. Cleo opened up the dusty wardrobe and pushed through the dresses and corsets, finally pulling out a black dress with a violet corset.

"Eh," she shrugged. "A bit outdated and definitely not my taste." She put the dress back in the wardrobe before shutting its doors. She opened the drawer of a dresser, revealing back a single shirt and some socks. She shut that drawer too.

"Whose room is this?" Clawdeen asked, gently tracing her fingers along the comforter of the bed.

"It belonged to Madison and Deuce," Viperine answered, walking over to Clawdeen and putting a hand on the werewolf's shoulder.

"Let's see if Deuce ever took part in spring cleaning," Lamia said. She grabbed the mattress and flipped it over, revealing a hole filled with knives. "Jackpot."

"What?" Frankie squeaked.

"Was she suicidal?" Jackson cautioned.

"Mmm, a bit," Seth answered. "Not completely caught up on it, but she definitely thought about it. We told her that suicide was a permanent solution to a temporary problem, but she wouldn't listen."

"She killed herself," Cleo said. "Case closed. Project done. Let's leave now."

"Didn't you read the diary?" Viperine asked.

"We never got the chance," Frankie shook her head.

"The last diary entry explained what happened to her," Lamia said.

"There's a newspaper article in the book as well," Seth added.

"Can't you just tell us?" Cleo groaned.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" Lamia said sarcastically with a grin.

"I'm not complaining," Jackson shrugged. "They've already showed us to tons of information."

"Fine." Cleo walked up to one of the walls. On it, there were many names scribbled on the wall with a permanent marker in all different handwriting. Cleo traced her index finger along the names, keeping her finger on Deuce's name for a longer time than anyone else. "Who are they?"

"Who are who?" Seth asked, turning to Cleo.

"Umm..." Cleo looked at the names on the wall, "The names on here. Evangeline, Ashton, Jason, Roxie, Caleen, Gabriel, Gwendolyn, Deuce, Madison-"

"Oh! You'll learn about them later." Seth walked towards the wall and put his hand on it, his palm and fingers feeling the cold wall.

"It's better to start from the beginning," Lamia said.

"They need to know about Mark and Marisa," Viperine said. "That has to come first."

"Who are Mark and Marisa?" Frankie asked.

"Nosy!" Lamia shouted at Frankie, who cowered away slightly. "...I'm kidding. Calm your tits."

"Mark is Deuce and Madison's dad," Viperine clarified. "Marisa is their stepmother."

"Let me show you," Lamia said. She pulled her phone out of her bag and scrolled through whatever page she was on. She turned her phone towards the group, revealing a mugshot of a middle-aged woman with mousy brown hair and dark blue eyes. She had sores all over her face and skin. "This is Marisa Grace Pallen. Mother of two. Murderer of three. Two being her own daughters and one being her brother."

"She killed her own family?!" Cleo yelped.

"That's horrible," Jackson breathed.

"You think that's bad!" Lamia said. "Wait 'til you hear about Mark!" She typed in "Mark Jayne" and showed the group a mugshot of a man with green eyes, brown hair the color of milk chocolate, and a cleft chin.

"That looks almost exactly like Deuce," Abbey pondered. "Just different hair."

"And nose!" Cleo said, inspecting the photo. "And he doesn't have anywhere near as nice eyes as Deuce. The pupils aren't snake slits, and the color isn't anywhere as pretty."

"This is Mark Nathaniel Jayne. Father of known eleven. Murderer of at least twenty seven," Lamia said.

"He killed all of his children but two," Seth added. "Kind of. I guess all but one."

"Oh my god," Clawdeen gasped.

"Known eleven?" Lagoona blurted.

"At least twenty seven?" Frankie piped in.

"We don't know how many women he had sex with or how many people he killed," Seth said.

"Who are the known eleven?" Jackson asked, looking back to the names on the wall Cleo still stood by.

"And that's where the names come in," Lamia said with a wink. "These are the names of Deuce and Madison's siblings. Well, half-siblings." She motioned to the wall again, and the group all looked at the names in awe. They were obviously written by kids, each having a different handwriting. "They are all around the same age," Lamia said. She pointed to the highest name on the wall, one marked with dark, thick lines. "The oldest is Gwendolyn- or Gwen. She is a demon and normie. She died at the age of eight."

"Next is Gabriel," Seth said. "Born a week after Gwendolyn. He's an angel and normie. He died when he was seven."

"Jason is after Gabriel by three days," Viperine said. "He had a brother named Ashton. His mother is the daughter of Pan. He died when he was eleven."

"Evangeline- or Evan- is the fourth oldest. She was born five weeks after Jason, but a month before Deuce and Maddie. She is part fairy and died at six," Seth said.

"Very few people know that Deuce actually started as a triplet," Lamia said. "Deuce was born a few minutes before Madison, who was the last one 'born'. Ianthe would've been the last. Alas, she was a stillborn. So we all just say Madison and Deuce are twins."

"Mark hurt Tía Medusa repeatedly when she was pregnant, causing Ianthe to die in the womb," Viperine said.

"Madison died at thirteen," Lamia said.

"See?" Cleo said. "She died. Case closed."

"Keep going," Operetta said, ignoring the mummy.

"Caleen was born twenty minutes after Deuce, Maddie, and Ianthe," Seth said. "She is part dryad. She looks more like a normie, but acts like a dryad. She is the stereotypical 'nature-loving, tree-hugging, hippie girl' to normies, so she gets away just fine in the normie world. She's the one Mark didn't kill."

"Ashton is Jason's brother," Viperine said. "He was born six weeks after Caleen. He died at nine."

"How can Ashton and Jason be brothers if they're only a few months apart?"

Seth shrugged. "Gestation periods are different for different monsters."

"Last of what we know are twins named Roxie and Lacie," Lamia said. "They are sylphs, or air elementals. They were born five days after Ashton. Lacie died at two, and Roxie died at five."

"This is really sad," Clawdeen said to herself.

"They also have two stepsisters named Iris and Kira," Viperine added. "They were normie and Rainbüsters. Iris was dead at six and Kira at seven."

"How were they killed?" Abbey asked.

Seth took a large breath before quickly spitting out the answer in one breath. "Ianthe was a stillborn. Gabriel drowned. Jason was electrocuted. Ashton was suffocated. Gwendolyn was shot in the head. Evangeline got food poisoning. Roxie was hung. Lacie burned to death. Iris fell to her death. Kira starved." Once he was done, he took another deep breath, trying to regain his lost oxygen.

"All deaths were involved with Mark," Lamia said, "except Iris and slightly Kira, which were thanks to Marisa."

"That's great and all, but what about Madison?" Cleo interjected.

"We aren't telling you!" Viperine uttered. "Read the diary!"

Ghoulia groaned, "I can make a serum using chemicals. It gives us access to the dead." The room was silent for a moment.

"You can do that?" Clawdeen queried, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Ghoulia moaned again.

"Can we?" Frankie looked up at the gorgons with pleading eyes. Viperine shrugged before nodding.

"We'll go with you," She said.

"We'll even kidnap Deuce!" Lamia cheered.

"No," Seth said sternly. "We won't."

"Fine!" Lamia groaned. " _I'll_ kidnap Deuce. Happy?" Seth rolled his eyes. The group continued looking around the bedroom until Frankie found a large, blue book.

"Ghouls!" she said, opening the book. "Look what I found!" Everyone gathered around the lab creation.

"That's her scrapbook," Seth said, gazing at the photos in the book. "It might help to look at."

"Oh!" Lamia blurted. "I forgot!" She dug into her bag and took out a short, fat, dark red candle, as well as a lighter. "Sit." Everyone complied, sitting in a circle. Lamia sat the candle down in the middle of the circle. She flicked the lighter, and a flame appeared. She lit the wick on fire, and the smell of black cherries diffused through the room. Frankie looked towards her group, who shrugged in return.

"Um, what are we do-"

"Shh!" Lamia interrupted. "You're going to ruin it." Frankie immediately closed her lips together tightly. Everyone watched the candlelight waver, and Lamia closed her eyes and inhaled the smell of cherries. She took a deep breath in before opening her eyes and gazing directly into the glowing, red light. She spoke several words to herself in soft Greek.

"Mockingbird," she said calmly in English, voice still, unwavering, and much louder than before. "We've brought guests. They'd like to meet you."

"No, we do n- mffpph!" Lamia slapped her hand over Cleo's mouth and grabbed her head with the other hand, pulling the mummy to her chest.

"They want to talk to you. You can tell them whatever you like; they're all ears. Anything you want to say to them or think they should know, tell them." She took a breath. "We're going outside. Don't hurt them. Deuce will never forgive you, especially if you touch his ghoul." Suddenly, everyone heard a door slam from the floor below. "Be nice." Lamia blew out the candle, gray smoke appearing in the flame's place. They heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and Lamia smiled. "Guess who's home?"

Seth stood up, followed by Viperine and Lamia. "We're going to be right outside if you need us," he said. "Don't be scared. She won't hurt you unless you give her a reason to."

"Wait!" Frankie started, but it was too late. The Gorgons had already left. Suddenly, Draculaura woke up.

"What happened?" The vampire asked.

"Nothing you can't watch on Ghoulia's recording later," Lagoona said, looking to Ghoulia, who nodded in return.

"So...um," Frankie said, "What should we do now?"

"No idea," Clawdeen responded, looking around the room. Suddenly, faint piano music began playing in the distance.

"Do you hear that?" Clawd asked. Frankie nodded. They all stood up and made their way to the door, going down the hall and stairs. They followed the music to the fireplace, where Ghoulia pushed a brick in. The back wall of the fireplace lifted up, revealing a secret passage. Everyone entered it and walked into a room with a large grand piano in the center of the room. There were bookshelves with music books, sheet music, and instrument cases lining the walls on the left and right. The back wall was adorned with a large, antique painting of a woman. The piano keys moved on their own.

"Ghouls..." Operetta gawked. "This isn't a piano that's supposed to move on its own!"

Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech rang through the air. Frankie ran out of the room and was followed by the rest of the group. They bolted to the basement, where they followed the sound of the scream. One look at the blood caking every surface in the room, and Draculaura fell to her knees on the ground. Clawd scooped her up and laid her against his chest. As they gathered in the middle of the room, Frankie gasped for air.

"What... _who_...was that?" She was met by the uneasy eyes of the others.

"Something doesn't feel right," Clawdeen said.

Cleo headed to the door and pulled on the handle, only for it to not budge. She pulled again and again before screaming. "It's locked!" She screeched. "We're locked in!"

"What?" Frankie ran to the door and tried, but to no avail. The two pounded on the door, yelling and screaming. Ghoulia walked towards a case filled with alcohol.

"Crikey..." Lagoona muttered. "If I knew we'd make her mad as a cut snake, I never would've suggested giving this a burl!"

Ghoulia moved a bottle of gin, whiskey, and vodka before seeing a thick bottle with a skull and crossbones on the label. She pulled the bottle, and the wall opened up, revealing yet another passage.

"Yes! We're saved!" Cleo said thankfully.

"Good job, Ghoulia!" Lagoona said. They all went through the passage, Clawd carrying Draculaura, who was still passed out. They walked down the secret hall, skipping the room on the left, which they realized was the music room. At the end of the hall, they pushed a thin board out of the way and went through the exit to find themselves in the bedroom once more, the poster that was covering the hole laying on the floor. Draculaura awoke. "I don't want to be here anymore," she said, shaking her head, her black and pink pigtails swaying.

"It is not like you were here much anyways," Abbey snorted.

"Should we...should we try talking to them?" Jackson asked. He looked around at the fearful faces of the group members.

"No sense in standing around," Cleo said, her voice wavering slightly.

"I want to meet at least one of them," Draculaura said. "Do you think they'll talk?"

"Only one way to find out," Lagoona replied.

"We can split up," Abbey said. "Maybe some are more willing to talk to some of us than others."

"Uh...do you really want to split up?" Clawd asked. "In every horror movie-"

"But this isn't some movie," Frankie said. "This was Deuce's life."

"Which would make for a pretty good movie," Jackson retorted.

"Doesn't matter." Frankie sighed. "We can split up if you want to, but the second something feels wrong or something happens, we all need to regroup."

"So should we group up?" Draculaura asked.

"I guess so," Lagoona said.

"Everyone needs to pull out a cellular device or an instrument to record on," Ghoulia groaned. "If they communicate, we need to catch it on tape."

"Good idea, Ghoulia," Clawdeen agreed.

After dividing themselves up, Frankie looked back at the group. "We meet back here in thirty minutes. Stay together, and good luck."

* * *

"If I were a dead ghoul," Clawdeen said, "where would I be?" She waved a flashlight on the walls, shining light on the cobwebs.

"I mean, where do you think the most activity is?" Draculaura said.

"Probably the basement," Frankie answered. "But we already went down there, and I don't think you could handle that again."

"Well...maybe there's something I could do."

"No chance, ghoulfriend." Clawdeen shook her head. Her curls bounced with each small shake.

"Hey..." Frankie said, an idea popping into her head. "Maybe we could blindfold her."

"That could work," Clawdeen said. She reached for a woven basket on the floor. Inside were sewing needles, spools of thread, and strips of fabric of all sorts. The werewolf reached for a long strip of black satin. "How about this?"

"Perfect!" Frankie said. She took the smooth cloth from Clawdeen and put it over Draculaura's eyes. She pulled both ends to the back of the vampire's head before tying the ends into a bow. "Can you see anything?"

"Nope." Draculaura stuck her hands out. "Not a thing." As she tried to feel for her surroundings, the other two grabbed each of her hands.

"We'll lead the way," Frankie said.

"Just watch your step," Clawdeen said.

* * *

Clawd, Jackson, and Operetta hurried down the hall to the master bedroom, where a king-sized bed took up the majority of the room. The bed was unmade, revealing stained sheets that were ripped off the mattress.

"Hello?" Clawd said. "Anyone in here?" He walked to the nightstand and pulled open a drawer, peeking inside. He suddenly turned beet red and slammed the drawer shut. Operetta and Jackson turned to look at him.

"D'ja find anything?" Operetta asked.

"Nope! Nothing at all!" Clawd said quickly.

Operetta raised an eyebrow. "Oh...kay?"

Jackson opened the door to the bathroom and stuck his head through the doorframe before walking in. "Hey, guys! Check this out!" The other two monsters entered the bathroom and looked at what the human was marveling at. He pointed at four needles on the vanity.

"Needles?"

"Heroin," Jackson said.

Clawd lifted a spoon up. The middle was burned black. "Weird."

"Should you really be touching that?" Jackson asked.

"Oh, yeah," Clawd said. "That's a good point."

"I mean, Lamia did say we could touch whatever our courageous, little hearts please," Operetta said with a smirk.

"I don't want to take any chances," Clawd said. He put the spoon back where he found it. "Who knows what this touched?"

"I'm feelin' mighty uncomfortable in here," Operetta said as she stepped out of the bathroom. The boys followed suit before Jackson sat on the bed.

"Dude, I swear I just saw dust fly off that thing!"

Jackson shrugged. "I've had worse." They sat in silence for a moment before Jackson spoke again. "Do you think they'll actually talk?"

"I don't know," Clawd said. "Do you?"

"I have no idea," Jackson sighed. "I just have this feeling like it's going to lead us to...well...nothing."

"Aw, don't give up hope just yet, sugar," Operetta said. She put her hand on Jackson's shoulder. "They'll talk. At least one of 'em's got to."

"But do you think it'll lead us to anything?" Jackson asked. "I feel like it's like nailing Jell-O to a tree. I mean, I know I was to the one who suggested this and all, but I have this feeling like it's all in vain."

"No point in giving up just yet," Clawd said. "There's got to be something in here."

Operetta walked to the closet and swung open the door. The air reeked of musk and dirt, and the walls were stained. Most clothes had fallen off their hangers and had piled up onto the floor in a large mountain of fabric. Standing on the tips of her toes, Operetta reached for something on the shelf. She used her fingertips to push it closer to her until it fell to the ground. The boys gathered around the object as Operetta knelt in front of it.

"A box?" Clawd asked.

"There must be something interesting in here," Jackson said with a smile. He knelt down beside Operetta. "What's inside?"

"I dunno," Operetta said, trying to pry open the latch. "It's locked."

"Great," Clawd sighed. "We'll never know."

"Not true," Jackson said. "If we figure out the box's age and the material, we can calculate the trajectory of a throw that will break it. Now, let's see...If we suppose this is made of wood- more specifically, pine- and that it is approximately a decade old, then we can-"

Suddenly, a large snap cut off Jackson's words. The boys looked over to see Operetta with a golf club in her hand, the smashed latch on the floor. She shrugged. "I found it in the closet."

"Whoa, what is that?!" Clawd said. He grabbed the golf club from Operetta and examined the head. "There's blood all over this thing!"

"It's pretty heavy," Operetta said. "Must've hurt."

"I don't think it came from a golfing accident," Jackson said. "It looks like it was used to beat someone with."

"Shut up," Clawd said. He dropped the golf club. It landed on the floor with a loud bang, one that shook the house. "I don't want to think about this."

"Well, then, we might as well see what's in the box," Operetta said. She got down on her knees and pried the remaining piece of the latch off of the box. The rust stained her hand, and she wiped it on her jeans. She lifted the lid, and everyone peered inside.

"Why would he have this?"

* * *

"Ugh, do they ever clean this place?" Cleo asked. She gently caressed the stair railing, dust caking onto her fingers. She pulled her hand away and looked back at the dust with disdain.

"Cleo, it's not occupied," Ghoulia groaned. "And even when it was, I don't think Mark could be bothered."

"But didn't they know they had guests coming? I don't expect a five-star resort, but this simply isn't enough!" Ghoulia simply rolled her eyes in return.

As the two stepped into the kitchen, Ghoulia recorded the tiles and countertops. "Look at all the bills."

"Hmph. No class."

Suddenly, a large bang was heard, and the girls felt the walls rattle. Ceramic dishes fell off the shelf and clattered to the ground. The plates broke into hundreds of shards. Cleo jumped back, and Ghoulia shined her flashlight on the cabinets.

"Something must've come from upstairs," Ghoulia groaned.

"Do you think it was the others?"

"Maybe." Ghoulia reached for an envelope that sat on the dusty counter. She ripped it open and pulled out a letter, reading it over.

Cleo peered over Ghoulia's shoulder. "What does it say?"

"Nothing of importance." The zombie put the papers back down before reaching for another. This one was written on notebook paper and looked as if it had been accidentally misplaced, lost in the mountain of old bills.

"That's Deuce's handwriting!" Cleo said, grabbing the side of the paper and pulling it closer to her, allowing her to read it too.

"Are you positive?"

"Completely," Cleo said. Her eyes didn't meet those of her friend, as they were too enveloped in the words on the paper. "I could tell it apart any day." After a few seconds, she asked, "What is it?"

"What does it say?" Ghoulia groaned. She attempted to pull the paper back, but to no avail.

"January is the color of her skin. February are her lips so inviting. Silk hair as short as her fuse. She's been damaged, she's been misused," Cleo read.

"Sounds to me like poetry. Maybe song lyrics."

"Well, that led us to nothing," Cleo said.

"That's not true," Ghoulia said. "We know something."

"And what might that be?" Ghoulia turned to face her friend.

"That he liked you."

* * *

"This place gives me bumps of goose," Abbey said breathily. She walked behind Lagoona, who pushed open a door.

"Come on," Lagoona said. "We gotta find something."

The room was painted light blue and was noticeably cleaner than the other rooms in the house. There was a full-size bed with pastel yellow sheets and a white couch. The furniture was white. A calendar hung on the wall next to the window, but it was frozen in time in February 2009. A little sailboat on a blue sea was printed on the top half of the calendar. Red pen scratched diagonal lines into the days. According to the calendar, it was still Thursday, February 26th.

"Look at this," Abbey said. Lagoona turned to see the yeti holding a pink spiral-bound book.

"What is that?" Lagoona asked, peering over Abbey's shoulder. Abbey flipped the pages until she got to February.

"Looks like a planner."

"That looks like Viperine's handwriting," Lagoona observed. "What does it say?"

"Sunday 1," Abbey read. "He's quiet. Just as quiet as when we last seen him. Reserved too. He keeps to himself and doesn't say a word to us. For the rest of us, Madison's death has faded into a faint ache, but he still has a gaping hole. It's been a little less than ten months, and he's still the same now as he was a month after the accident. He's gotten worse. The wounds are plentiful, and the bruising is in every shade of the rainbow. We think he's become immune to it at this point. He doesn't even make as much as a noise." Abbey lifted her amethyst eyes to meet Lagoona's. "Is this talking about Deuce?"

"I didn't know how bad he was...What does the next one say?"

"Monday 2. Deuce still refuses to talk. He isn't eating much either. He's wasting away, and we're all worried for him. Tuesday 3. He's not progressing and still isn't eating. Fortunately, he's talking to Seth again, so that's a start. He mentioned something about spending two weeks in December of 2008 at his paternal aunt's house. We don't know which one or if he even has more than one. We think he misses her."

"He spent December at his aunt's?" Lagoona said. "Why wouldn't he go to his mom?"

Abbey shrugged. "Court?"

"Maybe." Lagoona sighed.

"Wednesday 4. Something snapped. He did a complete 180. He's become super anxious about everything and jumpy at the smallest noise. He won't tell us what's wrong or why he's skittish. Something is seriously wrong, but none of us know what."

"What do you think happened?"

Abbey shrugged. "I do not know, but it can't be good." She fingered the page nervously. "Thursday 5. He had a panic attack today- the first of this month. It lasted 32 minutes. He's still just as nervous, and we're worried about his mental state. Lamia thinks no one should change that quickly for no reason and is giving him a hard time over it, which isn't helping in the slightest. However, Mark didn't hurt Deuce today. He said a few things but didn't even touch him. We're all relieved. Friday 6. Deuce is still restless. The second he's alone, he locks the door. We asked what's wrong, but he's putting up walls and guarding himself. He won't let us know. Lamia thinks it for the better. Seth and I don't think she cares anymore. She's berating him as much as Mark does. Speaking of, Mark still hasn't hurt him. It's the longest he's gone in a long time. Saturday 7. He refused to go to Music Festival today. He's been going the last eight years- even the year after Maddie passed. But now, he can't bring himself to go. We didn't go with him last year, so we think something must've happened then. He stayed locked up in his room. He wouldn't even let us come in. Lamia's been screaming hateful words through the door, which we think is part of the reason why he won't open up. Mark still hasn't touched him."

"He didn't go to Music Festival?" Lagoona repeated. "I thought that meant a lot to him."

"Like Viperine said," Abbey said, "something must've happened." Abbey flipped the page. "Sunday 8. He had another panic attack. This one lasted for 35 minutes. He wouldn't let us come in when it was happening, but he eventually unlocked the door. I stayed with him during the night, at least until he fell asleep. That was 1:43 am. Monday 9. He doesn't want to be alone. The second he's on his own, he begins freaking out. Like racing heart, sweaty palms, and staggered breathing. Even when one of us leaves to go to the bathroom or something, he loses it. Something's wrong, but he won't tell us what. Lamia's giving him a hard time, and it's getting worse. Mark still isn't hurting him. As relieved as we all are, Deuce can't stand it. He's getting anxious over the fact that nothing is happening. He said it's like sitting on a rowboat with a war going on in the countries on either side- it's only a matter of time before the boat gets hit; there's no stopping it and all that's left to do is wait. His anxiety is tearing him apart, and as much as we're trying to help, there's nothing we can do."

"Crikey..."

"Tuesday 10. Deuce had another panic attack. This time, it lasted 38 minutes. He let Seth in the room during it, which is good. He also stayed with Seth through the night. Seth said that he fell asleep sometime around three or four. Lamia is still berating him for everything. Seth and I tell her to stop, but she doesn't care, and Deuce isn't saying anything. And Mark still hasn't done anything. Wednesday 11. He can't sleep. At all. Last night, he didn't get a wink of sleep, and it's taking its toll on him today. He's drowsy, which doesn't pair well with his anxiety. He also finally ate something today. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. Granted, we had to manhandle him in order for him to eat, but that's water under the bridge. He still hates being alone, and I stayed with him throughout the night. Thursday 12. He's talking to himself again. He hasn't done this since 2007. After Madison died, he did it constantly. He stopped, but now, he's doing it again. I heard him say something about 'leaving before the month is over.' Seth also picked up 'long,' 'scared,' and 'time.' None of us know what to make of it. He also had another panic attack, one that lasted 42 minutes. They're getting longer. He also didn't sleep. Seth stayed with him this time. Mark still hasn't hurt him, and it's tearing Deuce to shreds. Friday 13. He came home from school late. He was shaking uncontrollably and had Mark's hand on the back of his neck in a vice grip. They were in the basement for almost four hours- 230 minutes. Seth got him afterwards and cleaned him up. He couldn't even walk properly. It was bad. The only good thing that came out of this was that Deuce finally stopped worrying about when Mark was going to hurt him. He's still anxious as can be though. He also fell asleep against Seth, laying on his chest. He was mumbling to himself in his sleep. We picked up 'euthanasia' and 'the last time.' We can't decipher it though. Lamia stopped yelling at him today.

"Saturday 14. He didn't sleep again and doesn't remember talking in his sleep. He's also becoming clingy. Although it was mentioned previously that he didn't like being alone, it's getting much worse. Seth thinks it's because after getting beat for the first time in almost two weeks, it was way worse than it usually is, and Deuce is worried. The court case is on March 5th. Seth hopes the marks will still be there, but bruises and black eyes usually don't last more than two or three weeks, and as monsters, we heal pretty quickly- Deuce is no exception." She flipped the page. "Sunday 15. He didn't sleep last night. His anxiety is getting worse, and after Friday, he could barely move. He and Lamia got into a heated argument about whatever, and a panic attack broke up the fight and ended with Lamia leaving and slamming the door. His panic attack lasted 44 minutes, and Seth stayed with him the entire time, while I tried talking some sense into Lamia. This family is falling apart. Monday 16. Deuce struggled to get up and go to school. Because of Friday, it hurts to move. The only reason he managed to go was because he refused to stay home. It didn't help that he didn't sleep last night. He's so sleep-deprived that I'm surprised he hasn't fallen asleep standing up yet. Mark hasn't hurt him since Friday, and Deuce is still shaken up."

"Why would he go to school if he was in pain?" Lagoona asked. Her eyebrows were raised to the heavens.

"Think this is normal behavior," Abbey guessed. "Many people do."

"But if it's as bad as she says-"

"Then he wouldn't want to stay."

Lagoona sighed. "I guess."

"Tuesday 17. He fell asleep quickly but woke up multiple times throughout the night. His nerves are getting the best of him. Seth and I think it's because he hasn't gotten a ton of sleep lately. Whatever the reason, he's not doing well. Wednesday 18. He had a panic attack that lasted 49 minutes. He didn't sleep at all last night. I got him to eat something, but he couldn't hold it in. Seth is really worried and talked to Tía Medusa about it. We haven't seen Lamia in days. I just wish everything went back to normal. Thursday 19. He had another panic attack, but thankfully, it wasn't as long as they have been- only 26 minutes. However, he didn't sleep last night. Mark still hasn't hurt him, and Deuce is still anxious. He's talking to himself more. Seth thinks that Deuce thinks he's talking to Madison or maybe even Ianthe. Whatever the case is, he's worried about something. Friday 20. Last night, he fell asleep but woke up screaming. He kept saying, 'He's coming! He's coming, and I'm not going to make it!' Seth is really shaken up, and he looks worse than Deuce. He's worried- we all are. Deuce also had another panic attack, this one lasting 33 minutes. Lamia and Deuce got into a screaming match, but truthfully, it was really just Lamia screaming at Deuce, who was silent with his back facing her. Everything is turning to shambles. Saturday 21. Deuce had two panic attacks today. The first was 72 minutes, the second 23 minutes. He also didn't sleep last night. He rocks back and forth and sinks his nails into his palms; his hands are all marked up. We don't know what to do."

"Everything is just falling apart over there," Lagoona muttered. "And this was almost a year after Madison died. Imagine what happened directly after."

"Can not imagine." Abbey agreed and flipped the page. "Sunday 22. He's getting worse. He outright refuses to be alone- even for just a few minutes. He had two panic attacks, one that was 34 minutes and the other that was 61 minutes. He didn't sleep and still doesn't eat. He freaks out over the fact that Mark still hasn't hurt him. Seth and I keep telling him that it's because the court case is just around the corner, and Mark doesn't want the obvious evidence. He doesn't listen though. Monday 23. He had a panic attack that was 96 minutes long. He went to sleep last night but had another nightmare and woke up screaming again. Lamia yelled at him for this, and surprisingly, Deuce yelled back. He's still anxious about Mark and doesn't listen when we remind him about the court case. He's absolutely incorrigible. Tuesday 24. He had three panic attacks: 84 minutes, 17 minutes, and 48 minutes. He woke up screaming again. He's getting more anxious, more clingy, and more fidgety. Every little noise makes him jump, and he whispers to himself. His eyes glaze over everything, and he can't seem to focus. Wednesday 25. He still isn't sleeping. He had three panic attacks. The first was 99 minutes, the second was 52 minutes, and the last was 73 minutes. It seems as if none of the medicine is working, but we're scared to take him off and change it in case it actually _is_ working and he'd be absolutely dreadful if he wasn't on medication. I'm leaving today, so Seth is taking over writing for the rest of the month. I'm worried for Seth, since he'll have to take care of Deuce and get Lamia off his back alone. I'm worried that Lamia will do something she regrets. And most of all, I'm worried for Deuce. He just needs to make it to the court date, but I'm scared he won't last that long."

As the handwriting changed, Lagoona sat on the floor, leaning her back against the blue walls. She put her head in her hands and brought her knees up to chest-level. "Crikey..." she muttered.

"Thursday 26. Deuce is getting worser then usually. He got panic attacks like usually, but there were three. I don't know why Viperine makes me keep track of exact times, but here they are: 103 minutes, 85 minutes, 59 minutes. He fell asleep around 11:30 but starting screaming at 2 or 3. He stays by my side 24/7. Although he can't be alone anymore, he likes being alone over having Lamia with him, which is pretty sad. This month has gone downhill for everyone. Lamia and I are leaving America today. The court case is on March 5th. I hope he can last that long on his own."

Abbey closed the planner. "That is it."

"That's it?" Lagoona stood up and took the planner from Abbey. As the yeti said, Thursday, February 26, 2009, was the last day. "This is some good oil! We should keep this. We could use it for the project." The sea monster shut the book. "And more importantly, I think the others would want to see it."

* * *

"What do you mean he liked me? I met him in sophomore year!"

"Cleo, read it," Ghoulia said. "That sounds like it was written specifically for you."

"My skin isn't pale. And my hair isn't short."

"But blood isn't coursing through your veins, leaving your skin with a grayish tinge. And when was the last time your hair was short?"

"It was shoulder-length before, but that was in, like, seventh grade."

"Are you saying that this-" Ghoulia waved the paper, "couldn't have been written when you were in seventh grade?"

Cleo stared back at the words on the page. "I guess it could have. Maybe"

Ghoulia put her hand on the mummy's shoulder. "Keep it." Cleo nodded and folded the paper before slipping it into her bra.

"Where to next?" She asked.

"The basement is bound to have plenty of activity," Ghoulia groaned. "I suggest we take that approach and proceed in that direction."

"Good idea."

* * *

"It looks like a lot of pictures," Operetta said as she, Clawd, and Jackson peered into the wooden box. She reached in and pulled out a stack of shiny, ink-covered paper. She flipped through the photos. Clawd and Jackson both pulled out stacks of their own.

"Guys, look at this one!" Clawd said. Operetta and Jackson both peered over his shoulder and looked at the photo he held.

The picture was of Mark and Medusa's wedding. The two stood in the middle of the group. Medusa wore a stark white, Grecian, empire-style wedding dress with a sweetheart top and a court train. Mark wore a gray tuxedo with a black tie and boutonniere that was made of white roses and baby's breath. They both had on flower crowns that were connected by a long piece of ribbon. There were five people on either side of the then-couple. On Medusa's side, Euryale stood next to her, followed by Stheno, a spider-like woman, Clawdeen's mom, and Frankie's mom. On Mark's side, a man who looked similar to Mark stood next to him, followed by a Greek man with dark brown hair and eyes, a werewolf man, a man with mousy hair and dark eyes, and a Spanish man with black hair and dark eyes. All five were dressed in black and smiling. Some people were in goofier poses, but everyone looked jovial, as if nothing could bring them down. Clawd flipped the picture over to find a list of names written in pen. It read "(left to right) Viveka Stein, Harriet Wolf, Arachne Spider, Stheno Gorgon, Euryale Gorgon (Maid of Honor), Medusa Gorgon, Mark Jayne, Michael Jaynthxloros (Best Man), Lysandros Kritikos, Nikolas Demetriou, Anastasios Stavropoulos, Elias García." Clawd flipped the paper around to start back at the picture again.

"This was the wedding?" Jackson asked, his eyes locked on their happy faces.

"I don't know my mom went to their wedding," Clawd said, droning off.

"Or Frankie's!" Operetta added.

"You should ask her about it," Jackson said to Clawd, who nodded in response.

The trio kept flipping through the photos until Operetta stopped on one. "Hey, y'all! Check this one out!" They gathered around Operetta's picture, which featured four people. There were two men and two women. The first man was the same one from the wedding picture, the one named Michael. He had hair the color of milk chocolate that was styled up out of his eyes, which were a striking green. He had a strong, square jaw, high cheekbones, and thick eyebrows, as well as a sharp nose and cleft chin. His ears stuck out ever-so-slightly, and his smile with made of perfect pearls. His features were chiseled, and he looked like an actor or a model.

Mark was next to him. He had the same brown hair and square jaw, covered only by stubble. They had the same eyebrows and chin, as well as ears. His eyes were the same shade of green, and he too was smiling. He was a carbon copy of Deuce, and Jackson felt chills go down his spine. It was hard to believe that this man- the one smiling next to his siblings in this picture- was the same man that killed off his kids one by one.

Next to Mark was a girl. She had the same square jaw and green eyes, but her brown hair was dyed blonde with coffee-colored highlights, her brown roots peaking out near her scalp. Her eyebrows were much thinner than the others', but not to the point where they weren't there. She had the same nose as Mark and the same glamorous smile as Michael. She too could be a model.

Lastly was a girl who was noticeably younger than the others. Her features were soft, and her green eyes radiated kindness. She had long brown waves that went to her tailbone. Her eyebrows were thick but suited her face, and her nose was small and pert. Atop her head was a crown of flowers. Unlike the others, she smiled without showing her teeth.

All four of them looked happy, as if they were enjoying each other's company. Each was absolutely attractive- they were a beautiful family indeed.

Operetta turned the photo over. Written on the back was "Michael (25), Mark (24), Macey (21), and Monique (16) - 1991."

"They must be his brothers and sisters," Operetta said.

"It's hard to picture him with siblings," Clawd said. He pointed to Mark with his index finger, his nail touching the image's smile. "Like imagining if Hitler had brothers and sisters."

"But he did," Jackson said. He pushed his glasses further up on his nose. "He actually had quite a few brothers and sisters, but the most well-known is Paula."

"Do you just eat books in your spare time?" Operetta asked the human, who quickly closed his mouth.

"Course he doesn't," Clawd countered. "They aren't part of a nutritional diet." Jackson turned red as the monsters cackled.

"Shut up, you guys," he mumbled. He took out a stack of pictures, and a folded paper fell to the stained carpet. Operetta picked it up.

"It's all in Greek," she said. "I can't read it." She skimmed the words before looking at the picture on the front, where Mark's brother, Michael, was smiling.

"It looks like a funeral program," Jackson said.

"He died a little after the picture from before was taken," Clawd said, reading the dates on the front. "Only about a year and a half before Deuce's birthday."

"That's peculiar," Jackson mumbled. "I wonder if his death had anything to do with it."

"Whatever the case," Operetta said, "we should probably take it with us."

* * *

"One more. Perfect!" Frankie grinned as Draculaura took her last, wobbly step off the stairs.

"Am I on the ground?"

"Yeah," Clawdeen answered, "you're on the ground."

Suddenly, a loud bang rattled the walls. Pieces of the ceiling fell off onto Draculaura, who was oblivious but shaken up over the noise. "What was that?!" She cried.

"No idea..." Frankie trailed off.

Clawdeen scoffed. "Probably my brother doing something stupid like usual."

They stood in silence for a few moments before Draculaura spoke. "Uh...so...how do we talk to them?"

"Ghoulia said a long time ago that ghosts feed off energy," Frankie said. "And I'm a feast."

"Wait, what?" Draculaura questioned.

"Electrical energy." Frankie winked. She held up her right hand, and sparks flew from her index finger.

"So, uh, how does this work?" Draculaura asked.

"I guess we just try talking to them," Clawdeen answered with a shrug.

"Um, okay...hi! I'm Frankie Stein!" The lab creation said to the air. "And these are my friends: Clawdeen and Draculaura. Can you tell us your name?"

They were met with silence.

"Do you have a name?"

More silence.

"Is it just you? Or are there several monsters in here?"

Silence.

"Is anybody even in here?" Clawdeen asked. Her question was also left unanswered. "Frankie, this is useless," she said, turning to her friend.

"Come on, Clawdeen," Frankie said. "I have hope that someone's in here."

"Then, why aren't they answering?"

"Maybe they just haven't figured out how to yet."

"Or maybe they're just nervous," Draculaura chimed in.

"We come in peace!" Frankie shouted to the empty basement. "We promise we will do no harm!" They were met with more silence.

"Come on," Clawdeen said. She took Draculaura's hand in hers. "We should probably get back to the others."

"Please, Clawdeen! Just give them one more chance!"

Clawdeen sighed. "Fine."

Frankie looked up at the ceiling. "I know you're here...even if you don't feel like talking. I'm sorry we came in here and trespassed in your house. We just want to know what happened." She took a deep breath. "Can you tell us your name?"

The room was cold and still, but especially silent. No one moved. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

"Ian."

Clawdeen's eyes bugged out of her head. "What?!"

"I'm sorry- can you repeat that?" Frankie asked, trying to contain her excitement.

"Ian," the voice responded again. It was that of a girl. The voice wasn't necessarily high-pitched, but it wasn't deep either. It was smooth and clear, like a brass instrument, but it wasn't loud and commanding. It was barely louder than a whisper, but to the trio, it was louder than a scream.

"Ian...Ian...Ianthe!" Frankie turned to face the others. "It's Ianthe!"

"Ianthe?" Clawdeen raised an eyebrow. "The triplet?"

"Yes, yes!" Frankie jumped up and down enthusiastically. "I knew someone was here!" Her bolts lit up frantically, and sparks burst out at every angle.

"Stop!" The voice scared Frankie, and although she stopped jumping immediately, her enthusiasm still caused her bolts to let out pops and hisses of electricity.

"What's wrong?" Draculaura said. The makeshift blindfold was getting on her nerves, but she refused to take it off.

"You're scaring him," the girl- Ianthe- said.

"Scaring who?" Clawdeen asked.

"Jason."

"Jason...Jason...which one's Jason?" Clawdeen asked.

"Isn't he the satyr? The one with the brother?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"Ianthe, we know what happened to you," Frankie said cautiously, changing the subject. "We know you didn't get to live. Never even got to be a kid." She felt the air become tense and much colder. "I'm sorry that happened to you." She was met with no answer. "We also know you're Deuce's sister."

That statement earned a quiet, muffled noise, one that sounded like a word, but an inaudible one at that.

Frankie turned to Clawdeen. "Did you catch that?" She asked, knowing the werewolf's sensitive ears could hear anything in a half-mile radius.

"No, not quite," she answered.

"Ianthe, we're friends with him. You don't have to be scared. Neither do the others."

They were met with another round of muffled voices.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell us?" Silence. "Anything you think we should know?"

"B-

Suddenly, the basement door slammed open. All three girls turned to face the doorway, their faces frozen in shock.

Cleo stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.

"Have we missed anything?" She hurried down the stairs, followed by Ghoulia, who trudged along behind her.

"Ianthe, these ghouls are Cleo de Nile and Ghoulia Yelps," Frankie said. "They're also friends with him and have come to talk with you too."

Cleo looked on with wide eyes before leaning into Clawdeen. "Is she crazy?"

"Hello?" Frankie said. She spun around.

"I, uh, think we came in at a wrong time," Ghoulia said, walking backwards to the door.

"There's no need to be nervous!" Frankie called out. "They mean no harm!"

"Frankie," Clawdeen said, putting her hand on the simulacrum's shoulder, "I suggest we leave them alone."

"Bu-but I-"

"It's for the better. We had our conversation. Let's go." She grabbed Draculaura's hand and led her up the stairs. Cleo and Ghoulia walked behind them. Frankie sighed and followed suit. When she reached the doorway, she looked back over her shoulder at the empty basement. The blood and glass. The odd, broken mirror. The way Seth tried to hide the room originally. They were just mysteries that added to the creepiness of the room. She felt as if a dangerous secret was locked in here- in the entire house, but particularly this room. It felt wrong to be in here. Like she'd bathed in pure, liquid sin. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I don't know what went on in here," Frankie whispered. "But I'm sorry for all the pain you had to put up with. All of you."

And with that, she closed the door.

* * *

Lagoona looked through the doorways of each of the rooms. "Where is everyone?"

"Probably downstairs." Abbey shrugged.

"We need to meet up soon," Lagoona said. "I'm getting nervous."

"Is probably just caught up with searching the house."

"You're probably right," Lagoona muttered. Still, she was nervous.

The two continued to look for the others until Abbey put her arm out to stop Lagoona.

"Do you hear that?" She whispered. Lagoona shook her head. Abbey squinted her eyes before leaning her ear up against a closed door. "Is voices. Listen."

Lagoona put her ear against the door, just as Abbey was doing. Just as she said, Lagoona could hear voices coming out from behind the door.

After a few moments, the voices grew quieter and quieter. Finally, footsteps were heard. They became louder and louder with each second.

Suddenly, the door was flung open. Lagoona and Abbey fell to the ground with a smack. Two feet stood in front of them. They looked up fearfully.

Operetta's hand stuck out for them to grab. Lagoona let out a sigh of relief before grabbing the hand. "You scared us for a second!"

"We scared you?" She repeated, pulling Lagoona to her feet before helping Abbey up. "Y'all were the ones scaring us! We heard someone talking, and it stopped all of a sudden."

"Do you know where the others are?" Clawd asked.

"No," Abbey said, "do you?"

Jackson shook his head. "Nope. But we did find this trunk." He motioned to a box sitting on the floor.

"Anything interesting?" Lagoona asked.

"A few things," Operetta said. "Namely this picture." She handed Lagoona the picture of Mark and his siblings.

"We also learned that Mark's brother, Michael- the guy sitting beside him there- actually died right before Deuce was born," Clawd said. He gave Lagoona the funeral program.

"Well, we don't know if this man's death has anything to do with any of this. So this-" Lagoona held up the funeral program, "is about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike."

"But what if it does mean something?" Jackson reasoned. "What if it means that after Michael died, Mark became so enveloped in his brother's death that he started drinking, which would explain all the beer bottles. He also could've gotten violent because of the drinking, explaining the blood and all."

"That's exactly what it means," a voice said from the doorway. The five gasped and turned to face the voice. Frankie stood in the doorway. "Or at least, that's what I think it means. Sorry, if I scared you, by the way."

"Frankie!" Lagoona said.

"Did you guys find anything?" Clawdeen asked, stepping into the master bedroom. Draculaura, Cleo, and Ghoulia followed.

"Yeah, we found a funeral planner for Mark's brother," Jackson said. Lagoona handed Frankie the funeral planner.

Frankie stared at the paper for a few moments before finally saying, "I'm going to stick with Jackson's theory here."

"What else was found?" Abbey asked.

"We discovered song lyrics," Ghoulia said.

"Really? Anything important?" Frankie asked.

"Nothing that would be useful to what we were trying to learn," Cleo answered.

"Oh, well, that's okay," Draculaura said, removing the makeshift blindfold.

"We found a planner," Abbey said. She flipped it open. "There is accounts of the days leading up to February 26th."

"Yeah, Viperine wrote it," Lagoona said. "Each day, she described how Deuce was doing."

"What do you mean?" Frankie asked.

"You'd have to read it to understand."

"Oh, okay."

"Was that all we got?" Clawd asked.

"Oh! We talked with Ianthe," Frankie exclaimed.

"Pig's arse!" Lagoona said. "That's gotta be a porky!"

"No, she didn't," Cleo said, rolling her eyes. "I walked in, and she was doing all the talking."

"No, we really did talk to her!" Frankie said. "Right, Clawdeen?"

"Yeah," Clawdeen agreed.

"Really?!" Jackson said, his eyes wide in amazement. "What did you talk about? Did you figure out what happened to Madison?"

"Well, uh, no, not quite," Frankie said.

"Oh," Jackson said. His shoulders slumped.

"Well, I guess that's it then," Clawdeen said.

"Oh, and one more thing," Frankie said. She looked at Clawd, Jackson, and Operetta. "Did you guys hear that loud bang?"

"Oh... _that_?" Clawd said before chuckling. "That was nothing."

Everyone stared at him with bored eyes and frowns, obviously knowing something was up.

"Mmhmm," Clawdeen said, her lips closed.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. "W-who's there?!" Frankie cried. The footsteps come closer and closer. Everyone screamed. Lamia, Seth, and Viperine walked through the door.

"What up, fam?" Lamia said.

Frankie let out a sigh of relief. "You scared us!"

Clawdeen nodded in agreement."Most of us want to leave, so-"

"If you think this is bad, us being here will trigger tons more memories," Viperine said.

"And Deuce has some pretty twisted memories," Seth added.

"Some are worse than the ones you're facing now," Lamia shrugged.

"Deuce is still alive though," Seth replied. "He had almost two more years of it all before it stopped."

"I thought you said Madison died at thirteen?" Frankie questioned. Seth nodded.

"She did."

Draculaura looked towards her friends. "But, that would mean-" Lamia nodded as the vampire cut off her sentence.

"It wasn't that long ago when it stopped," Viperine said. "It was February 28th when his father and stepmother got arrested. A few days before his fifteenth birthday."

Lagoona's eyes widened at the mention of February 28th. _That was mere days after they left!_ She grabbed Abbey's arm, and Abbey nodded.

"Can you explain how it ended? Like how they got arrested after going on for so long?" Jackson asked.

"No," Seth shook his head. "It'd kill him."

Lamia snorted and smiled before diving her elbow into her brother's ribs. He smacked her in return.

"Well, honey, we're slippin' off a cliffhanger, so feel free to spoil whenever you wish," Operetta said.

"If you bring Deuce here- which you probably can't, but if you did- then you can see how f*cked up some of these memories are," Lamia said. She twisted a white snake around a pale finger. "But again...you can't. Guys wanna ditch?"

"Yeah," Frankie nodded. "I don't want to be here anymore." They all left the house and began walking back home.

"When are we going to see the dead?" Ghoulia groaned.

"Oh yeah!" Clawdeen said. "What time did you want to go?"

"After you read her diary," Lamia said.

"Alright," Frankie agreed. "We'll call you when we're done."

"We'll meet you at the cemetery," Seth said.

"Cool, Clawd replied. Operetta smiled.

"See y'all there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is so much foreshadowing in this chapter, so see if you can spot some.
> 
> Here is a key for Lagoona's Australian slang...  
> Good oil: useful information  
> Pig's arse: I don't agree with you  
> Porky: lie  
> Useful as an ashtray on a motorbike: unhelpful
> 
> The list of songs used in this are...  
> "Field of Innocence" by Evanescence  
> "Where Will You Go" by Evanescence  
> "Good Enough" by Evanescence  
> "October" by Evanescence  
> "Lose Control" by Evanescence  
> "The Last Song I'm Wasting On You" by Evanescence  
> "Missing" by Evanescence  
> "Hero" by Skillet  
> "Snow White Queen" by Evanescence  
> "Not Gonna Die" by Skillet  
> "What I Believe" by Skillet  
> "Wasp" by Motionless in White
> 
> The chapter title includes lyrics from the song "Burned At Both Ends" by Motionless in White.


	3. We Had to Learn the Hard Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both groups discover information for their projects. However, some information is more detrimental than others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is mostly just the two teams learning about their projects. It's the information they use. Just because it's the information, doesn't mean to skip this chapter. It is very important! I'm going to warn you: Get ready for a ton of line breaks. There are a lot!
> 
> I do not own Monster High or any of the songs used in the making of this story.

After visiting the abandoned home, everyone met back at Frankie's house. They were sitting in the living room- some on the couch, some on the floor, some on the ottoman, and some standing up. Nevertheless, they all gathered around, where they discussed how to obtain more information.

"Alright, ghouls," Frankie said, tapping a ballpoint pen on her right bolt in thought. "We should split up."

"Two groups of five or five groups of two?" Jackson asked.

"Five groups of two," Operetta replied.

"Clawdeen and I can be a team!" Draculaura beamed.

"And Abbey and I," Lagoona said, turning to the yeti ghoul, who nodded in agreement.

"Jackson?" Clawd asked, looking over towards his friend.

"Sure," the human agreed.

"Ghoulia's my partner," Cleo said.

"Well, that leaves Operetta and I," Frankie said.

"Wait!" Lagoona interrupted. "What are we looking up?"

"Lagoona's right," Clawd said. "We can't have two teams looking up the same thing."

"Okay, well..." Frankie tapped her pen faster in thought. "We need one group to do Madison's home life."

"And school!" Jackson effused. He pushed up his glasses as he said, "Education is very important."

"Oh! And don't forget Music Festival!" Draculaura said.

"And her parents," Clawdeen added.

"Ooh, and extra information?! Like personality, likes, dislikes..." Draculaura said with a grin, revealing her pearly fangs.

"Frankie and I'll do Music Festival," Operetta said. "I have some firsthand experience meeting, seeing, and hearing her music. It'll be a cinch."

"Jackson, bro," Clawd said. "Wanna take on Mark and Marisa?"

"Uh, sure? I guess," Jackson answered.

"Clawdeen and I can totes do home life!" Draculaura said.

"Lagoona and me do 'important part' to nerd boy," Abbey said, crossing her legs. "Education it is."

"That leaves us with the extra information, Cleo," Ghoulia moaned.

"Fine," Cleo said simply.

"Let's get to it!" Operetta said.

* * *

"Alright bros and ghouls!" Heath swung his arms behind his head, leaning back into the soft cushions of the sofa in Monster High's student lounge. "We get the cool assignment!"

"Yeah," Toralei agreed, scratching the chipped, red polish off her claws. "At least we don't have to learn about some old-y, moldy corpse."

"What is your problem with her?!" Deuce retorted.

"Why do you care so much?" Manny bellowed. "She's dead!"

"It doesn't matter!" Gil interrupted. "We have our project, and the other team has theirs." Deuce flashed Gil a small "thanks-for-covering-me" smile, and Gil winked in return.

"So how are we doing this?" Robecca asked.

"Easiest way we know!" Invisi Billy grinned. "We ask the teachers. I mean, we need at least one interview. We might as well just interview all the teachers."

"Good idea!" Slo Mo groaned. "Who's asking who?"

"Let's try two group members per teachers," Scarah offered.

"Heath," Manny grunted. "You're my partner."

"Alright!" The fire elemental cheered. "The Bro Squad!"

"Meow..." Toralei purred. "Since Meowlody and Purrsephone are obviously together, I'll guess I'll just take Scarah." The banshee paled.

"What?" She said, looking towards Invisi Billy. "But Toralei, I'd rather-"

"I know you're a nuisance, but I'll be the strong one and support us both," Toralei interrupted, licking the back of her hand. Scarah pouted in return but didn't dare refuse. Invisi Billy noticed his girlfriend's discomfort.

"Um, Toralei? Maybe you and Spectra can-"

"Invisi Billy!" Heath interrupted. "Bro Squad?"

Manny nodded in agreement. "You're going with Slo Mo," the bull said.

Invisi Billy sighed. "Alright. I'm sorry, Scarah." She smiled in return at his efforts.

"I wouldn't have wanted that dramatic ghost anyway," Toralei said and rolled her eyes, only to be met with a loud gasp from Spectra.

"B-but," the ghost sputtered, "I'm not that dramatic! I just-"

"It's okay, Spectra," Robecca said, putting a metal hand on the ghost's shoulder. "We can be partners."

"Oh. Um, okay. That sounds...nice."

"So dude," Deuce said to Gil, "looks like we're partners. You cool with that?"

"Of course!" Gil said. Deuce was one of his best friends. If anything, he was more than grateful to be partnered up with him.

"Now what teachers are we getting?" Spectra asked.

"Manny and I get Coach Verizhe," Heath said quickly. "That guy is on fire!" His head immediately lit on fire upon saying this. Toralei rolled her eyes.

"Well, I want-"

"We'll take Mrs. Maiden and Mr. Zarr," Scarah interrupted as payback for before.

"Hey!" The werecat glared at Scarah, who shrugged.

"Sorry," Manny said, "NO take-backs!"

"Meow!"

"Can we get Coach Igor?" Invisi Billy asked Slo Mo.

"And Mr. Rotter?" Slo Mo added.

"Sure, dudes," Deuce nodded. "Gil? Who do you want?"

"Mr. Hack, I guess."

"We'll also take Mrs. Kindergrubber," Deuce added. He was much closer to her than any other teacher, and he wanted to make sure she was the one he spoke to.

"I'd like Headless Headmistress Bloodgood," Spectra said.

"We can also take Mr. Where," Robecca said, "if that's okay with everyone."

"Meow..." Meowlody smirked. "That leaves Purrsephone and I with Mr. Fenderbender and Dr. Clamdestine."

"Wow!" Heath's eyes bugged out. "You actually speak?" Scarah grabbed a paper cup full of water and dumped it on Heath's head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Of course she speaks, knucklehead!" Scarah said. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Well, I've never heard her do it before. And-"

"Let's get to work now," Robecca interrupted, "shall we?"

* * *

"So who are we starting with?" Gil asked, flipping through his notebook to find a blank page as he and Deuce walked through the halls.

"Mrs. Kindergrubber is closer," Deuce said.

"Alright." He scribbled her name on the top of the paper with a pencil before they walked a few classes down to Mrs. Kindergrubber's classroom. Deuce knocked on the door when they got there.

"Come in!" Mrs. Kindergrubber said cheerfully. Deuce opened the door, and he and Gil went into the classroom. Mrs. Kindergrubber wrote a recipe on the dry-erase board. "Hello, boys!"

"Hey, Mrs. Kindergrubber," Deuce said, moving a dirty pot off the desk and into the sink to be cleaned.

"What can I help you two with?" The older woman asked with a smile. She'd been close to Deuce ever since ninth grade. She was initially entranced by his culinary skills, and after he opened up to her, she became a mother figure to him when he couldn't see Medusa thanks to lousy court orders. She knew him inside and out, and he often visited her classroom during his free period. It was always a treat to see him like this, outside of the typical classroom setting.

"We would like to know what you were like in high school," Gil answered.

"Ah, is this for the project in Rotter's class?"

"Yes, ma'am," Deuce grinned.

"Alright," She smiled in return. "Wait one second." Mrs. Kindergrubber finished writing the sentence on the board, then put the lid on the marker. She put the marker down and headed towards a bookshelf next to her desk. She trailed her right index finger along the spines of the cookbooks until she found a certain book, one that was black and white with a hard cover. On the front, there was Monster High's logo. "Here it is!" She placed the book on the desk and motioned the mansters over. Once Gil and Deuce stood by her desk, Mrs. Kindergrubber opened the book. "This was my yearbook in my senior year."

She flipped through the pages, nostalgia flooding through her. As she flipped to a certain page, the students noticed the picture on the page. The photo was black and white and had about fifteen students in it. Above the picture, the words "Art Club" were printed. Mrs. Kindergrubber pointed to a young ghoul with large, round glasses, wavy hair that was about four inches below her shoulder, and a dress with a high-low skirt. The front of the dress stopped at the knee, but the back went to the floor. The skirt had a splatter design. The ghoul wore Mary Janes and long socks. "That," she said, her voice breathy and full of nostalgia, "that was me." Deuce raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I was always short and scrawny. I was never 'beautiful' but more...'cute'."

She flipped a few more aged pages before pointing to another picture. This one had her younger self with a young boy. "That boy. He was who you know as Mr. Hack."

Gil choked a bit. "Seriously?"

"Yes," she said. "He didn't mind that I was an art nerd. He liked me...for me." Mrs. Kindergrubber flipped to another page that had pictures of the senior prom. She pointed to a picture of her and Mr. Hack dancing, both dressed in formal wear with Mrs. Kindergrubber's hair put up into a bun with a rose behind her ear. "He gave me that black rose on the night of our prom. I still have it."

"So did you both like each other?" Gil asked.

"Yes, we both did. We dated for a short period of time...but then...he just lost that spark," she sighed to herself, closing the yearbook. "He cared more about his bloodies and games. We never got any time alone. It just didn't work, and although I still had a piece of me that still loved him, I broke up with him."

"Why did you become a culinary teacher if you liked art club so much?" Gil asked. "Wouldn't you have just become an art teacher?"

"Ah, Mr. Webber, it's a long story." Mrs. Kindergrubber smiled at the two, but her eyes weren't focused at them. She appeared to be dazing off in thought. Deuce knew better than to stop her when she got in these conversations.

"You see, I wanted to get away from my past and my monster heritage, like many youths do when they are in their teenage years. I didn't want to become like my mom, or my grandma Myrtle, or my great-grandmother Ingrid, or my great-great-grandmother Gretchen, or any other cannibalistic witch that came before me. I wanted to be me, wanted to write my own legacy. So I escaped from one world and into another through the help of my good friend, Giles. I found a community of monsters that would accept me as their own- after all, I was still a witch, even without the green skin."

Mrs. Kindergrubber laughed to herself. Gil looked at Deuce with a concerned expression stamped into his face, but the gorgon had heard this story before. He tilted his head and smiled at Gil, who shook his own head in confusion.

"Where was I? Ah, yes. So there I was...a fifteen-year-old ghoul trying her hardest to escape her destiny. I wanted nothing to do with cooking. Nothing, nothing, nothing. So I took up art instead. It allowed me to still have that creativity, but without all the baggage. I stuck with it, but several decades later, I started connecting more to my roots. It took me years to come to terms with the fact that I didn't have to be that witch from all the stories. I could cook to cook, and I could cook without the evil behind it. I worked at a bakery for years before becoming self-employed. I started my own restaurant, Der Kessel. Ah, how I miss that little restaurant... However, over the years, many people contacted me asking to teach lessons to their students. So I did, and it led me here." Mrs. Kindergrubber spread her arms out, motioning to the large school around her. "And I couldn't ask for anything else."

"Oh...that's a really cool story," Gil said. He wasn't lying to her, but he didn't know where her sudden enthusiasm came from, so he just went with it.

"So you were an art nerd, were in the art club, and liked Mr. Hack. Anything else that comes to mind?" Deuce summarized. Mrs. Kindergrubber thought for a moment.

"Not that I know of."

"Well, thank you for your time," Deuce said.

"It was much appreciated," Gil added.

"Oh, it was no big deal," the teacher replied. The boys walked to the door.

"Thanks again!" Gil said.

"You're welcome."

"Have a good day, Mrs. Kindergrubber," Deuce said before disappearing through the door.

"You too."

* * *

Frankie and Operetta sat in Frankie's bedroom, with Operetta in the chair next to the computer and Frankie on the bed.

"So Operetta?" Frankie started. "What do you remember about Madison at Music Festival?"

"Well, we were all in New York," Operetta began. "New York, not Boo York, since we were in a part of town that overlapped the normie and monster sides." Frankie nodded in understanding. "I remember Madison like the back of my hand. She was with two boys and two ghouls. Maddie and the boy with green hair were always side-by-side. It didn't matter what they were doing. Anyway, everyone was in the lunchroom, and the head judges started playing the videos of secret cameras in the rooms. All states were divided in two groups. No judges were allowed in the rooms, so there was two or three people in each group. Madison and the boy were in the same room, and everyone stopped and stared when their video came on."

"Really?"

"Do I look like I'm joking to you?" Operetta jested. "Anyway, everyone stopped eating and stared at the screen. Right then, they knew the youngest competitor there would be the hardest to beat."

"Madison was the youngest one?" Frankie marveled.

"Only a few minutes behind Deuce."

"Oh..."

Operetta took out her phone, flipping through her camera roll. "Here. I'll show you."

* * *

Lagoona and Abbey sat in Monster High. Lagoona was in the pool on the side leaning out, and Abbey sat right outside the pool in a frozen puddle.

"So. School. Are here. What do we do now?" Abbey asked.

"Mate, I don't think she went to Monster High..." Lagoona pondered.

"What are you talking about?" Abbey asked. "Bloodgood knew her, and the tape was found at Monster High. How could she not have gone here?"

I don't think she was old enough," the saltwater sea monster answered. "Wasn't she in middle school in that tape?"

"That makes sense." Abbey stood up and stuck her hand out. Lagoona accepted it, and Abbey pulled her out of the pool. "If this Maddie did not go to Monster High," Abbey questioned, "where did she go?"

"I'm not sure, but I bet Headless Headmistress Bloodgood would give us the name of Deuce's old school if we asked." Lagoona grabbed her towel off the bleachers. She dried off and rang out her wet curls. "C'mon. Let's go ask Bloodgood."

* * *

"We should probably work on the project," Meowlody said, walking down the halls with her twin sister.

"Meow...Good idea, sister," Purrsephone agreed. "We can rub it in everyone else's faces that we got done first." They smiled at each other as they walked to Mr. Fenderbender's classroom. Purrsephone peered in through the glass window on the door until she saw the teacher. She opened the door and walked in, Meowlody trailing behind her sister. Both werecats stopped at Mr. Fenderbender's desk, where the teacher was located, sitting at his chair grading papers.

"Hello, ghouls," Mr. Fenderbender said, looking up at them only for a moment. "Do you need anything?"

"Um, yes, sir," Meowlody said innocently. She batted her eyelashes to add to the effect. Mr. Fenderbender raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Purrsephone and I were just wondering if you could tell us what you were like in high school."

"We would just like a quick idea of your teenage years," Purrsephone said, batting her eyelashes playfully and innocently like her sister.

"Oh, um, yes..." He picked up one of the many framed pictures on his desk, showing it to the ghouls. In the picture, Monster High was in the background with all the seniors in the front. There was a banner that read "Class of 1814". On the side of the school, there stood a young boy with a tobacco pipe. He was leaning on the school's wall. Mr. Fenderbender pointed to the boy. "That young troublemaker was me."

"Really?" Purrsephone said, faking surprise. "I can't believe you were a bad boy, Mr. Fenderbender. Are you only joking?"

"No, my ghoul. I'm not. I was the slacker in school. The stoner. I came to each class about forty-five minutes to an hour late every day. I would go around to the back of the school and smoke with my bloodies." He put the picture back on the desk before opening his drawer and taking out an old report card. "These were my typical grades." The twins gazed down at the report card that was littered with many D's and F's. "As you can tell, I was in detention more than my actual classes. I smoked, covered the tops of the desks with crude drawings, ruined the bottom of desks with chewed-up gum, and would graffiti the walls of the bathrooms. I was the bad boy of the school. The one parents were scared their children would grow up to be like. I frightened not only the students, but also the teachers!"

"You must've been real tough, Mr. Fenderbender," Meowlody said.

"Indeed, I was," Mr. Fenderbender said. "I challenged anyone and everyone to a fight. Even knocked a teacher and his tooth out. I got expelled for that, but back then, it was all worth it."

"Meow...Were you in any clubs?" Purrsephone asked.

"No, I wasn't. I never wanted to. None looked interesting to me."

"How about a crush or a date?" Meowlody asked. "Surely you've had one of those before, right?" Mr. Fenderbender shook his head.

"No. None of those either. Nothing really interested me. It was all tobacco and trouble. It was my entire year."

"And you still became a teacher?" Purrsephone said, her eyebrows raised in mock suspicion. The teacher, however, was oblivious, to it. He didn't often talk about himself like this, and he was too excited to see her lack of authenticity.

"It turns out that it was my calling," he said with a shrug. "Nowadays, I use my story to help students that struggle with trouble-making, bad grades, detention...I show them that they can change their lives around too. If I could do it, they can too." He smiled to himself and slid the aging report card back into his drawer.

"Meow...Thank you, Mr. Fenderbender," Purrsephone said, desperate to finish and get out of the room. The twins left the classroom before the sister with the black-hair grinned to her sibling. "Did you take notes?"

"Of course, sister!"

"Purr...fect! Now, we just need to switch a few things out. Like...let's say he was an A and B student."

"He was a teacher's pet."

"And had a ghoulfriend."

"He played golf-"

"And would be often called a Goody-Two-Shoes!"

"Great!" Meowlody smiled. "Next teacher, sister. Time for these kitties to pounce!"

* * *

Cleo and Ghoulia laid on Cleo's queen-sized canopy bed, both on their stomachs and sharing a laptop in front of them.

"So...what kind of...information are we looking for?" Cleo said, filing her nails.

"Any kind, really," Ghoulia groaned. She pulled out a thumb drive. "Viperine gave us this."

"Hmm..." Cleo tapped her chin with a freshly-manicured fingertip. "What's on it?" Ghoulia grinned.

"Let's find out, shall we?" She inserted the thumb drive into her laptop, and three folders popped up. They were labelled "Music", "Stupidity at its Finest", and "Pictures".

"Which should we start with?"

"Whichever you want," the zombie moaned.

Cleo thought for a moment. "The second one." Although Cleo usually wasn't one who liked blatant immaturity, she had to admit she was curious as to what her boyfriend was like when he was younger. Out of the three, she believed this was the best way to discover that.

Ghoulia clicked on the folder that Cleo chose. In the folder, there were many videos, and Ghoulia clicked on the first one.

* * *

Robecca and Spectra were both on their way to Mr. Where's classroom. However, Spectra kept floating away from Robecca to eavesdrop on others' conversations.

"Um, Spectra?"

"Oh, what a story!" Spectra gushed, taking out her laptop and beginning to type.

"Spectra, I know you like to blog, but we must finish our project," Robecca said politely. "You can blog when you're done. The quicker we're finished, the quicker you can write."

"Why wait?" The ghost said, never taking her eyes off the screen or her fingers off the keyboard. "So many good stories out there. My people need to be updated on all the drama!"

"Let's go," Robecca said, shutting the laptop closed. "We're almost there." She used her steam boots to fasten her pace. Spectra quickly floated beside her to catch up. After a few classrooms, both ghouls got to Mr. Where's classroom. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Robecca knocked on the door. Just then, Spectra saw Iris and Manny arguing. Although it was hard to hear exactly what the two were bickering about, she picked up the words "never," "side chick," and "clean." She silently floated away from Robecca, trying to get in on the gossip.

"Come in!" Mr. Where shouted from inside the classroom. Robecca, not realizing that the ghost just left, walked into the drama classroom, where Mr. Where was working with the Drama Club on a skit.

"Anything you need, darling?" He asked.

"May I learn about your high school years? I am doing a project in Mr. Rotter's class, and I would wish to know about your life as a teenager."

"Ah! Alright, then." Mr. Where looked to the Drama Club. "Continue working." He disappeared for a moment, but reappeared next to Robecca. "So you'd like to learn about my teenage years?" The robot nodded. "Alright, child. Follow me." He disappeared again and appeared next to his desk, where Robecca sped towards. Mr. Where opened his drawer and took out a small photo album. He handed it to Robecca, who opened it. The first picture was of Mr. Where as a teenager, a ghoul with large ears, a handsome boy with a charming smile, and a ghoul with long, dark hair and translucent hands and feet. "Those were my high school friends. We're still closely connected and still great friends. However, these were the only people I felt normal around. Around them, I felt like I could be crazy without judgement, even though they made me sane."

Robecca flipped the page. There was a picture of the four on stage acting. The ghoul with the long hair had her right hand on her forehead in a dramatic pose. The boy with the great smile was offering her his hand. Mr. Where and the ghoul with large ears were hiding in props designed to look like bushes. "We were the drama kids," he continued. "The ones who lived to act on stage. We would write scripts and act them out in front of crowds- small and large." Robecca turned the page to find a picture of all four smiling. Mr. Where pointed to the ghoul with large ears. "That was Natalia. She was shyer than the rest of us but opened up quite rapidly." Mr. Where pointed to the boy with the nice smile. "That is Hayden. All the ghouls in out school would swoon over him, and his looks brought him popularity. But he stayed with us. He used to say that the other popular people were just wannabes that wished for attention. They wouldn't be a true friend to him, so why should he bother?" Mr. Where pointed to the girl with the long hair. "Her name is Ella. She was well-known by her stunning looks, upbeat personality, and optimistic attitude. She was welcoming, but not in a naive way. Ella was smarter than most people took her for." Lastly, he pointed to himself. "And here I was. I was an A and B student that wasn't popular, but not an outcast. I was liked by teachers and students alike, but stuck with my group of friends.'

She flipped the page again. There was a picture of Mr. Where, Natalia, Ella, and Hayden in a park. Ella's head was laying on Hayden's left shoulder. "Natalia and I had realized that Ella and Hayden had loved each other years after our friendship bloomed. It didn't break us apart; it brought us closer together. Our tightly-knit bond had grown stronger. They had married after they both finished college. They're still going strong today."

"I'm guessing you all were part of the Drama Club," Robecca theorized.

"Yes, you are correct. We all took a liking towards drama, and our teacher had suggested the Drama Club. We figured it wouldn't hurt, so we went and never stopped going. Hayden and I were teased for going, but we never let it bother us. Why should we? We loved it, and that's what mattered."

"That's very inspirational! If only all students today were like that."

"Why thank you. Was that all you needed?"

"I think so. What do you think, Spectra?" Robecca was greeted by silence, and Mr. Where raised an invisible eyebrow. She turned her head to both sides but couldn't locate the ghostly ghoul. "Sorry, Mr. Where, but I must find Spectra!"

"No worries, child," Mr. Where smiled.

"Thank you for your time!" Robecca thanked.

"It was nice talking to you," Mr. Where said as Robecca rushed out of the classroom.

* * *

Draculaura and Clawdeen sat on the bottom bunk of Clawdeen's bunk bed. Draculaura sat cross-legged, hugging a skull-shaped pillow, and Clawdeen had her laptop on her lap and notebook and a pen by her side.

"So, um, how do we find information about her home life?" The vampire asked.

"We should probably return to the house...but..." Clawdeen trailed off.

"But what?"

"We can't walk a few steps without you passing out."

"I can handle it. See?" Draculaura formed her right arm into a right angle and flexed, revealing a very small muscle. "I'm strong."

"Uh, physical strength isn't the same as mental strength," Clawdeen laughed.

"Physical. Mental. It's the same." Draculaura shrugged.

"No, not really. But if you want to go again..."

"Yay!" Draculaura cheered and grabbed Clawdeen's arm, pulling her out of her room and leading her to the old house.

* * *

Clawd and Jackson sat on Clawd's bed. Clawd had a tablet to take notes, while Jackson had a laptop to find information.

"Okay, so we're looking up...Mark Jayne and Marisa Pallen, correct?" Jackson asked, his shaggy bangs in his face.

"Yep," Clawd answered, grabbing two cans of Coke off the dresser and handing one to Jackson, who accepted it. Clawd opened his can, gulped an eighth of the soda, then put it on the dresser. "So who do you want to do first?"

"I don't care," Jackson admitted, taking a sip of his drink. "Do you want to start with Mark?"

"Yeah, I guess." Jackson looked up the Oregon State Prison for Humans and Monsters. The search engine brought him to a list of pages, one including the prison's official website, which Jackson clicked on. There was a bookmark on the home screen on the top right that said "Inmates." Jackson clicked on the bookmark, which took him to a new page. The prisoners' names were in alphabetical order by last name.

"It's spelled J-A-N-E?" Jackson asked.

"I'm not sure," Clawd admitted. Jackson clicked on the 'J' at the top, which quickly took him to the beginning of the list that begins with a 'J.' He scrolls to the 'J-A-N's, then scrolled down to find Mark's name.

"I can't find it." He scrolled down even further to the 'J-A-Y's. He saw the name 'Jayne, Mark Nathaniel.' "Never mind." He clicked on the name, which opened a new page. On the left, the page showed a picture of a man with brown hair, green eyes, and a dimpled chin. Below the picture, it said "Prisoner 15864". To the right of the picture, there was a description. "Mark Jayne, also known as Prisoner 15864, was arrested on February 28, 2009 for child abuse, child endangerment, torture, child neglect, murder, and alcohol abuse. Later, judges and police found Jayne committed many felonies, fourteen first degree murders, twelve second degree murders, perjury, and twenty-four misdemeanors. Some charges include arson, rape, sodomy, human trafficking, burglary, robbery, homicide, abuse of a corpse-"

"Wait," Clawd interrupted, "isn't that-?

"Necrophilia?" Jackson asked. "Yeah."

Clawd felt his stomach launch up into his throat.

"Desecration of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and involuntary manslaughter- to name a few."

"A few?" Clawd spit.

"He has also received many DUIs throughout the years," Jackson continued. "The murders Jayne committed were mostly to people he knew. He killed nine of his children and fifteen of his acquaintances at the Northern Salem Bar. He'd raped an estimate of twenty-nine people of both sexes."

"I'm already sick," Clawd mumbled. He typed the notes into the tablet of the number of felonies, murders, misdemeanors, and any sort of numbers or statistics found in the paragraph.

"At the trial on March 10, 2009, he pleaded innocent to the charges laid upon him and-"

"Hold on!" Clawd interrupted. "He pleaded innocent?!" The werewolf couldn't help but cut off his friend every few seconds. Jackson didn't know if it was because he was in that much shock or if he subconsciously needed a break from all of the disturbing information thrown at him all at once. Regardless, he didn't mind.

"It says here he did."

"I'm hating him more and more each second." They sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Do you just...wanna move to Marisa?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah," Clawd said after a moment. Jackson went back to the list of prisoner names. He found Marisa's name under the 'P's' and clicked on it. A mugshot of a normie woman with long, straight, brown hair and blue eyes stared at the screen. Under the picture, it said "Prisoner 15865". The description was to the right of the picture.

"Marisa Pallen, also known as Prisoner 15865, was arrested on February 28, 2009 for child abuse and drug abuse. Later, judges and police found Pallen committed one first-degree murder, two second-degree murders, and eighteen felonies. At the trial on March 10, 2009, Pallen pleaded guilty to the charges."

"At least she pleaded guilty," Clawd mumbled.

"Marisa Pallen was guilty to murdering her two daughters- Kira Rainey Pallen-Roygip and Iris Iraine Pallen-Roygip, and brother, Jack Dean Pallen," Jackson continued.

"She's just a-"

"I know," Jackson agreed. "It is awful and makes me sick to think this happened. But we should probably include this. Did you take the notes?"

Clawd grumbled and wrote down the names of everyone Marisa killed and her arrest charges. "Yeah. Is that all for this sick freak?"

"Yep. Back to Mark?" Jackson offered. Clawd flopped on the bed and groaned loudly.

"Fine. Let's get this over with. Pick up where you left off." Jackson returned to the list and found Mark Jayne's name again, clicking on it. After skimming the paragraph, he found where he left off.

"Ready?"

"Hold on," Clawd said, bringing the tablet- which was at his feet, since he flopped backwards on the bed- up to his chest where he could type. "Yeah. Now I'm ready."

"Okay," Jackson nodded. "At the trial on March 10, 2009, he pleaded innocent to the charges laid upon him, and after another trial, the court found him changing the story and caught him lying under oath, causing him to plead guilty." Clawd grabbed the Coke can from off the dresser and took a sip from the soda. "Jayne was noted to murdering his four sons- Gabriel Angelus Halo, Jason Jael Buck, Deuce Jayne-" Clawd spit out the Coke.

"What the hell?"

* * *

Manny and Heath sat on the couch in Heath's living room, both playing video games. In the middle of one of the rounds, Manny found himself thinking about the project, an odd occurrence for him.

"Uh, Heath?"

"Yeah?" Heath asked, not looking up from the game.

"Shouldn't we...you know...work on the project?"

"C'mon, bro!" Heath jammed the buttons on the controller harder, killing one of the normies with his pistol in his video game. He had to pick up the slack for Manny, who was no longer killing as many now that he was worried about schoolwork. "We've got two whole weeks to do this project! We'll get it done before then with time to spare."

"Alright..."

Heath paused the game to look at his friend. "Relax, bro. We just gotta go to school and ask Coach a few questions. Then, we're done!" Heath focused back on the screen and hit play. "It's easy enough. Plus, everyone else has two teachers. We have one. We've got this in the bag!"

Manny snorted, and warm steam exited his bovine nose. The ring in his septum jingled slightly due to the force. "Whatever you say, Heath."

* * *

"Alright, Toralei," Scarah sighed. "We should probably get started." The two girls were standing at Toralei's locker, with Scarah trying to pull the werecat away from it to help with the project.

"Meow...why get started now? We have time."

"Not as much time as you think, Toralei," Scarah frowned.

"Well, I don't want to start now," Toralei whined. "You can, but I'm not."

"Toralei, this is a group project! You can't just-"

"I don't feel like it, so I won't. Meow. Relax, banshee."

"How can I relax when I'm with a partner like you?!" Scarah huffed. She stormed out on Toralei, shaking her head as she walked towards Mr. Zarr's class. When she got there, she knocked on the door and waited. Then, after no answer, she entered the room. She found that Mr. Zarr was asleep on the chalkboard, his cheek pressed up against it. Scarah snapped her fingers a few times to wake up Mr. Zarr, which worked to her surprise.

"Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Zarr, but I need to ask you something of importance."

"Well, hurry up. I can't have people like you wasting my time."

"Alright, what were you like in high school?" Scarah asked, taking out a notepad.

"High school...I haven't thought of high school in years..." Mr. Zarr seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"Anything you can tell me about it?" The banshee asked.

"Of course, I can! I was a nerd. Yes, I said it. A nerd. I had thick glasses that were taped together, plaid button-downs, ties, a pencil behind my ear, and books always in my hands. I was the constant target for bullies. Lockers, trash cans, and even filing cabinets became my home away from home."

"Sounds quite a bit like Jackson," Scarah noted, writing notes on the paper.

"I was an all A student, and I was proud of it," Mr. Zarr said. "I was forced to do other's homework, but I purposely made them get a few questions wrong."

"Well, good for you standing up for yourself. It takes quite a bit of courage to pull that off."

"I was on the Academic Team, Math Club, Science Club, and Chess Team," he said, ignoring her. "I loved each one. However, I never loved any ghouls. I never found an interest in any. I mean, they were pretty, but they weren't my type. I was just the dorky nerd that got picked on and liked homework. Nothing more." He focused on the chalkboard for a second, then looked at Scarah again. "That's about where my high school life ends. I never did anything worth counting back then."

"Well, thank you anyway," Scarah said, leaving the classroom.

* * *

Operetta found the video on her iCoffin and hit play. She handed the phone to Frankie, who intently watched the video. It took place in a cafeteria. There was a screen on the wall that played videos of each state's group. In Oregon's room named "Red Team," there was a boy and a ghoul, each thirteen years old with a head full of Green Mambas and emerald green snake eyes. The ghoul, who was wearing a black and red corset, ripped black shorts with fishnet leggings, and black combat boots, stood near a piano. The boy, who wore a black Anthrax shirt that said "Spreading the Disease," black jeans with holes in the knees, and black sneakers, sat on the floor attaching new guitar strings to his Fender Limited Edition Dave Lozeau Art Stratocaster Dragon guitar.

"That's Deuce and Madison," Operetta said.

"You go through strings too quickly," Madison said in the video. "You play your guitar more than I play my piano, so that really says something." Deuce finished replacing the strings and stood up. He tuned quickly before played the introduction to Steve Vai's "Bad Horsie" to test out the strings.

"It's good now," he said.

"It's your turn to choose what we're playing."

"We had to quit the last song too early 'cause my strings popped, so I'll give you another another chance."

"You haven't sang in forever, so we're doing 'Broken.' Okay?"

"Yeah," Deuce said, looking down at the guitar. "I don't know what you classify as 'forever' though. What? Like four songs worth?" Madison rolled her eyes, and Deuce started strumming his guitar.

"I wanted you to know that I love the way you laugh. I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away," he sang. His melodic voice was stunning, and Frankie felt herself gawking. "I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well. I wanna hold you high and steal your pain."

Madison joined in for the chorus, and the two harmonized. "'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome, and I don't feel right when you're gone away."

"You're gone away," Deuce sang along. His fingers danced along the strings of his guitar. "You don't feel me anymore."

"The worst is over now, and we can breathe again. I wanna hold you high; you steal my pain away," Madison sang.

Frankie found herself breathless. She didn't want to move or even exhale, as if she was too afraid that if she did, the gorgon would notice and stop.

"There's so much left to learn and no one left to fight. I wanna hold you high and steal your pain."

The two combined voices again and sang the chorus once more. Both had strong voices, but instead of fighting for dominance, they seemed to compliment each other. "'Cause I'm broken when I'm open, and I don't feel like I am strong enough. 'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome, and I don't feel right when you're gone away. 'Cause I'm broken when I'm open, and I don't feel like I am strong enough. 'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome, and I don't feel right when you're gone away."

The video on the wall shut off, and everyone in the cafeteria cheered, except Deuce and Madison. Madison slammed her face into the table and covered her head with her arms. Operetta's video shut off.

"She loved singing, but she hated attention," Operetta said. "She sang to make other people feel her emotions and because she loved it, not for attention."

"That's always good. No one likes an attention hog," Frankie said, not noticing the irony.

"Anyway," Operetta said, putting her phone away, "when I went to her and Deuce after lunch to tell them how good it was, I heard her say, 'I never would've sang that song to a crowd. It just wouldn't have happened. But if people like it, then whatever.'"

"'Then...whatever?!'" Frankie quoted, confused.

"Exactly!"

"It was a great song!" Frankie said. "Why wouldn't she sing it?"

"I don't know, but she must not have wanted people to hear it."

* * *

Invisi Billy and Slo Mo were walking down the hallway, trying to decide who to question first.

"So Slo Mo," Invisi Billy said, "should we start with Mr. Rotter?" Slo Mo groaned and nodded, and the two walked down the hallway to Mr. Rotter's classroom. The door was already open, so the boys just walked in. Mr. Rotter was busy looking through papers.

"Mr. Rotter?" Slo Mo groaned.

"Yes?" Mr. Rotter asked. "What can I help you with?"

"Um," Invi Billy started, "you see, we were just trying to work on the project, and well, you are one of our teachers."

"Alright." Mr. Rotter grabbed a picture taped to the drawer of his desk. He handed it to Invisi Billy. It was a picture of Mr. Rotter in his high school years. He had Marge Simpson hair, a classic 1800s outfit, and a dorky smile. "I was the class clown. I tried to make classmates smile, even if it meant embarrassing myself in the process." Invisi Billy smirked at this. "I was the 1800s Heath. I'd talk out in class, which I often got detention for. I didn't mind though."

"Were you a class clown in an annoying way?" Slo Mo moaned.

"I will admit, I was sometimes, but who isn't?" Mr. Rotter answered. "You two know Robecca. I was a student for her father's class. I tried so hard to impress him, and I think it worked out. After all, I was his favorite student!"

_That's not what Ghoulia said_ , Slo Mo thought. He remembered what his ghoulfriend had told him about their time-traveling mishap, and it didn't align with the teacher's comments.

"I even got some of my phrases from him," Mr. Rotter continued.

"Were you in any clubs?" Invisi Billy asked.

"The only reason why I was after school was for detention. Nothing else."

"Did you have a ghoulfriend? Who were your friends?" Slo Mo groaned again.

"No, I never had a ghoulfriend. I mean, do you see that outfit? My friends mostly consisted of other class clowns. However, you would've never heard of them."

"Anything you find the need to share?" Invisi Billy asked. Mr. Rotter chuckled.

"Once, I was chewing gum when I wasn't supposed to be. When the teacher came in, I bent down and spit it onto the floor- or so I thought. When I leaned back up, everyone started laughing at me. The teacher looked at me disapprovingly, shaking her head. I looked up and saw a wad of gum stuck in my hair. I had to use scissors to get it out." Invisi Billy held back a laugh, while Slo Mo smiled.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Rotter," Slo Mo moaned.

"You're welcome." Invisi Billy and Slo Mo left the classroom, and Invisi Billy immediately let out peals of laughter.

* * *

Clawdeen and Draculaura panted from the lengthy walk. They had their hands on their knees as they sucked in as much air into their lungs as they could.

"Next time," Clawdeen panted, "we're calling a taxi cab."

Draculaura held out a full water bottle to Clawdeen. "Water?"

Clawdeen gratefully yanked it out of Draculaura's hand, opened it forcefully, and chugged a quarter of the water. "Thanks, ghoul," the werewolf said, screwing the lid back on the bottle. "Now, the house."

"I didn't realize the...haunted house look it had before," Draculaura admitted. Clawdeen took out her phone and began recording.

"Just in case. Now, close your eyes and I'll lead you." Draculaura closed her eyes and took Clawdeen's open hand. Clawdeen led her to the front steps. "Watch the stairs." Draculaura walked blindly up the stairs without tripping. Finally, the ghouls made it up the flight.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Draculaura asked.

"Not yet." Clawdeen led Draculaura inside and took her to the kitchen, where the vampire opened her eyes. The floors were drenched in blood, and the counters were covered in dirty dishes, ashes, dirt, and drugs. Draculaura, who didn't notice the bloody floor, eyed the filth on the counter.

"Haven't they heard of tidying up for guests?" She asked, pushing a yellowing envelope with her fingernail. "So rude." Clawdeen noticed a large knife in the sink. It was covered in a large amount of dried blood. Clawdeen's eyes widened.

"Uh, hey!" She said, trying to make sure Draculaura didn't see the knife and to try to get away from it herself, "Why don't we go...this way." Clawdeen walked to the living room, dragging the vampire behind her. Draculaura had her hand over her eyes to avoid seeing anything that would make her faint. However, she kicked something accidentally and dropped her hand, looking down. She picked up a box of cigarettes. She found many more on the floor around a worn chair.

"Whoa...they must've smoked a lot!"

Clawdeen picked up an empty beer bottle. "And drank a lot too," she added. "Look at the glass." Not only were there many empty bottles of beer, but some were broken into many shards. Some of the larger ones were even covered in blood.

"Interesting..." Draculaura trailed off. Clawdeen eyed a paper on the chair's armrest. She walked over to it and picked it up.

"To the parents of Deuce Jayne-"

"I cannot get used to that," Draculaura interrupted.

"We would like to schedule a parent-creature conference on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008." Draculaura saw a large pile of envelopes near the chair. They all were bills with "Final Warning" in red lettering marked on them.

"Hmm. I wonder why these were never paid..."

* * *

"What do you ghouls need?" Headless Headmistress Bloodgood asked, looking at Abbey and Lagoona, who were standing in her office.

"Ma'am, do you have name of Deuce's old school?" Lagoona asked. The headmistress nodded.

"I do," she said, looking at her computer and clicking a few things. She scrolled to a list of students and quickly found Deuce's name, clicking on it. "He went to Lakewood Middle School along with a few other students."

"Am not familiar with this Lakewood school," Abbey said.

"Well, I am," Lagoona said. "I never went there, but I know it well enough. A lot of our friends went there." She turned towards Headless Headmistress Bloodgood. "Is there any information on him when he went there?"

"No, but if you go there, you can probably ask some of the teachers."

"Alright," Lagoona nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"C'mon, Abbey!" Lagoona said. She grabbed the yeti's hand as the two headed out of the office. "We're off to Lakewood Middle!"

* * *

Robecca searched around the halls for Spectra. Every so often, she'd find her, but she'd immediately disappear. Robecca raced down the halls, but when she made a left turn, she flew into Venus, knocking them both down.

"Oh dear!" Robecca said. "I'm sorry!" She stood up and gave Venus her hand. The plant monster gladly accepted it, and Robecca pulled the plant monster to her feet. "Have you seen Spectra?"

"I think she's with Iris," Venus said.

"Thank you, Venus!" Robecca said before racing off again until she sees a short, green cyclops talking to a ghost.

"There, there," the ghost comforted. "Now, what did he do?"

"H-he's just...ignoring me!" Iris cried. "He doesn't want to be with me anymore. He just wants to be with the guys. Does...does he not love me anymore?"

"Um, pardon me," Robecca interrupted. "Spectra, we need to finish our project!"

"I'm with another student!" Spectra whispered to Robecca. "Don't be rude!"

"Don't be rude? Don't be rude?" Robecca stammered. "You were the one that left me in the first place!" Steam shot out of the robot's ears as she felt her insides boil with anger.

"If you care so much about this project, then just do it alone," Spectra said, rolling her eyes.

"It's a group project!" Robecca retorted. "I can't have scatterbrained ghosts like you ruining this for us."

"If you care, then get it done. If you don't, then leave it. We have other group members. They can take care of it." Robecca opened her mouth to speak, but Spectra beat her to it. "Now if you excuse me, I'm helping another student." The ghost looked towards Iris. "Now, what did you say?" Robecca stomped her right foot and let out a yell of anger. She stormed off, leaving Iris and Spectra.

"If you care so much, then do it!" Robecca mocked. "Your grade's going down the drain, Spectra!" She stormed to Headless Headmistress Bloodgood's office. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before entering the office. The headmistress was on the phone, so Robecca waited patiently.

"Yes...I know...Thank you. Bye." She ended the phone call and looked at Robecca. "Hello, Miss Steam! What do you need?"

"Information on your teenage years, miss."

"On my high school years? This is for Mr. Rotter's project, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright. I guess I can share..." The woman showed Robecca a painted portrait that sat on her desk. It was of a young girl with dark hair with purple lowlights in a ponytail, a blue Polo shirt, purple pants, black riding boots, a magenta cape, a magenta bobble bracelet, and purple horse-shaped earrings. Next to the girl was a purple foal. "That was me in my senior years."

"Was the horse Nightmare?"

"Yes, but she was only a young foal- only a newborn."

"Oh."

"I was, how do I say...the 'teacher's pet.' I was the Goody Two Shoes, but wasn't arrogant. I had many friends, but wasn't considered to be one of the popular kids."

"Yes, I understand."

"I was an all A student and would never get detention. I only stayed after school to help teachers clean up the room. I'd help grade papers sometimes, but I'd usually just clean."

"You weren't in any clubs?" Robecca asked.

"No, I usually helped teachers and volunteered around the community. I'd go to animal shelters, senior centers, and even around town with a garbage bag and gloves, just picking up litter. I figured that I may as well help out. I loved doing it though. The smiles from everyone were all I needed."

"That's why Monster High is run so well! You were a leader even back then!"

Headless Headmistress Bloodgood smiled. "I wanted what was best for everyone else. It's how I keep my school going so smoothly."

"Thank you for your time, Headmistress Bloodgood," Robecca said.

"Thank you for listening, Miss Steam." Robecca smiled and left the office.

* * *

"Let's go..." Draculaura trailed off, thinking about the next destination, "upstairs." She tried to head up the stairs, but she was stopped by Clawdeen, who put an arm out.

"Nuh, uh. Eyes closed."

Draculaura pouted, but she complied without hesitation. Clawdeen held her hand and helped guide her up the stairs, which creaked with every step.

When they reached the second floor, they entered the first room on the left, which was the master bedroom. The king-sized bed wasn't made, and the stained sheets were thrown every which way. An odor came from the room, particularly the bed and closet. On the dresser, there were bags of green leaves, white crystals, and white rocks. Next to that was a bong, a lighter, an opened box of cigarettes, a beer bottle, and a notepad. Curious, Clawdeen dropped Draculaura's hand and went over to grab the notepad and flip through it. She stopped when she saw a list with red X's slashed through some of the words.

"Hey, Draculaura!" She called. The vampire, who had her eyes open, turned away from the bed and looked at her friend. "Used. At home abortion. Fire. Ropes. Poison. Falling. Starvation. Drowning. Bullet to head. Suffocation. Electricity. Impalement slash stabbing."

"What is that?" Draculaura asked. "What does that mean?"

"Wait, I'm not done." Clawdeen skimmed the paper. "Ideas. Crushed? Loss of blood?"

"Seriously, what does this mean?"

"They all have one thing in common," Clawdeen said, putting the notepad back on the dresser. "They were or will be used to kill." She dug through the materials on the dresser again, as Draculaura opened the closet door, seeing a small room that smelled like beer and urine. Scratch marks littered the walls. Draculaura was about to close the closet door when she noticed the rust-colored dried blood on the side of the wall towards the bottom. She felt her head spin and without a second more, she collapsed to the ground.

Although Clawdeen heard the sound of her friend falling to the ground, it didn't register. She was too curious about the materials in the dresser drawer. She stopped on a picture. In the photo, there were a group of children, all roughly four years old. One girl had black hair pulled in low pigtails. Next to her was a girl who had curly, blonde hair and large fairy wings. Another girl had wavy, blue hair, and another had straight brown hair. A boy with side-swept brown hair, angel wings, and a halo sat next to a girl with straight black hair and reddish skin. Two boys had ram horns: one with brown hair and one with blonde. A girl with long, caramel brown hair pulled into pigtails sat beside Madison and Deuce. However, a red Sharpie was used to draw a circle with a diagonal line through the middle on everyone's face except the girl with long, caramel hair and Deuce. Deuce had only a circle though.

"Whoa...Draculaura! Look at this!" She turned to look at her friend, but noticed the vampire was laying on the ground, her black and pink hair sprawled all around her. Clawdeen sighed and walked over to her best friend. She used the old photo to fan her, and after a minute, the vampire regained her conscience.

"What.." Draculaura started, but Clawdeen cut her off. She handed her the picture, and the vampire looked at it without saying a word. "This...this isn't right..." she finally managed to utter. Clawdeen pulled the picture of Draculaura's hands and put it back on the dresser.

"Let's go to a different room." They left the bedroom and went down the hall, where Madison and Deuce's room was. They entered the room, and the door shut behind the duo. "Why'd you shut the door?" Clawdeen asked.

"I didn't," Dracualura answered. "I thought you did." She stopped and turned around. "Uhhh...Clawdeen?"

* * *

"That makes no sense!" Frankie slapped her hand down as Operetta shrugged.

"Anyway, we were all told how many years in a row everyone won Music Festival in our state. The judges said that she and her family won Music Festival seven years in a row. Then, you add in them winning for their county and state. Lastly, they won for national."

"They won ten times? Consecutively?!" Frankie's jaw dropped.

"Sure did," Operetta nodded.

"Whoa..." Frankie marveled in awe.

"We all knew she had something special in her." Operetta played with a loose thread on her shirt, refusing to make eye contact. "What we didn't know is she wouldn't make it to the worldwide competition. Internationals."

"There was a worldwide competition?"

"Yeah, the finals. But only some countries came. For example, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, China, Russia, Kenya, and India came. Slovakia, Lithuania, Argentina, and Chile didn't go."

"Oh. okay."

"It would've taken place in Sacramento, California, so they went back home to Oregon. However, we were all told there was an accident and they couldn't make it." Operetta managed to pull her eyes up to meet Frankie's. "They never told anyone what the accident was."

"Did anyone go?" Frankie asked.

"The awful singer who was from New York, Britney, went instead. I reckon 'Merica would have won if we'd have Madison at the worldwide competition."

"I bet," Frankie said, thinking back to the videos Lamia and Operetta showed her. "So you weren't told what the accident was?"

"Nope. None of us were."

"So all you know was that she died?"

"They didn't even tell us that!" Operetta hissed, frustration present in her voice. "I didn't find that out until much later."

"Hm..." Frankie mumbled, lost in thought.

"What is it, sugah?"

"What if we went to the Music Festival in Oregon?" Frankie offered. "We could talk to the judges and get more information." Operetta stood up and grinned.

"Great idea!"

* * *

"Meow..." Purrsephone said with a smirk. "Now that we have that done, should we go to Dr. Clamdestine?" Meowlody nodded.

"I think we should, sister." They headed to Dr. Clamdestine's classroom and entered without knocking. Dr. Clamdestine, who was cleaning up the classroom, looked up at the twins.

"Ah! Hello, ghouls!" He stood up and walked over to the werecats. He recognized them from his second period class, and although they weren't the most vocal of students, he still appreciated them.

"Hello, Dr. Clamdestine," Purrsephone said in the same sugar-sweet voice used for Mr. Fenderbender. "We were just wondering if we could hear about your years as a teenager."

"Meow...we'd love to hear it," Meowlody agreed.

"High school was...quite an adventure for me," he grinned. "I was the prep. I sported a collared shirt, khakis, and a sweater around my neck. I was, as people say, a snob, but that was just my personality. I wouldn't take anything from anybody. I was just that arrogant kid with the expensive clothes. And I was fine with that." He smiled to himself. "I felt like I was too good for clubs, so I never joined any. However, the ghouls never interested me, so I never dated either. It was my other preppy friends and me against the world." He paused, lost in thought. "I'm not even sure why I thought I was better than everyone else." He shrugged and looked back at the twins. "Oh well. I'm not much more interesting than that."

"Oh, thank you anyway!" Meowlody smiled.

"Yes! Thank you, Dr. Clamdestine!" The sisters left the room, smirking and purring to themselves. Once they were a few hallways down, Purrsephone asked, "How about a jock with low C's and D's?"

"Purr-fect!" Meowlody smiled. "Let's say he also had a ghoulfriend who was a blonde bombshell."

"I love it! Now, let's go tell our group." Both snickered and sauntered away to go find their team.

* * *

"And Ashton Faunus Buck, five daughters- Gwendolyn Evie Demõn, Evangeline Pixie Wings, Madison Jayne, Roxanne Skylar Stratus, and Alessia Airabella Stratus, six coworkers- Hayden Cal Renner, Jamie Patricia Bowman, Yasmine Eleanor Garcia, Dylan Samuel Oliver, Thomas George Greens, and Matt John Horshe, two prisoners- Ethel Sarah Fayer and Romano Alec Zimmerman, and nine friends- Ezekiel Keith Durham, Sebastian Owen Val, Wyatt Arthur Barre, Alfred Norman O'Conner, Jared Zach Umar, Henry Ian Necking, April Leslie Torn, Erin Faye Lorene, and Kayla Sally Finn," Jackson finished. Clawd stared at him, still trying to wrap his mind around the murdered victims.

"Okay, hold on," he said. "I'm so confused. Deuce? And what about that other dead ghoul?"

"Ianthe?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, her. Why wasn't she on that list? What happened?"

* * *

Once Lagoona and Abbey got to Lakewood Middle School, they saw a lady with a blue blazer and knee-high pencil skirt with a slit down the side. Underneath the blazer was a teal, button down, collared dress shirt. She had brown hair with green highlights and blue lowlights. Her eyes were misty blue and were highlighted with blue eye shadow and green eyeliner. Her lips were painted red, and her skin was lime green. She held a stack of papers in her arms.

"Um, excuse me, miss?" Lagoona asked politely.

"We look for principal," Abbey said bluntly. "Mrs. Rosewater."

"That would be me," the lady said. She walked into her office, and Lagoona and Abbey followed her in. Mrs. Rosewater dropped the papers on her desk and looked back at the teenagers. "What can I help you two ladies with?"

"Old student," Abbey answered. "Used to go here."

"What is his or her name?"

"Madison Gor- I mean Jayne. Madison Jayne," Lagoona corrected herself. The principal thought for a moment.

"Mmm...I don't remember a Madison Jayne. Let me check." She sat down at her desk in front of the computer. She checked the monitor, and after a few clicks of the mouse, she finally came to a certain page. "Oh! Looks like we did have Madison Jayne. Recently too! My memory must be slipping. Here. I'll print out her schedule, so you can ask her teachers about her, okay?"

"Thank you," Lagoona said. "We'd love that." Mrs. Rosewater printed out the schedule on some copy paper and handed it to the saltwater monster. "Thank you again, miss."

"You're welcome." The girls left the office before Lagoona looked at the schedule.

"It says here that her first class was Math with Mrs. Peara Anguish."

"What room?"

"Room 705."

"Believe rooms are based on grades. Starts with '7', so is on seventh grade hall."

"Good thinking, Abbey!"

"Like yak with puzzle. Get it done quick."

"We should go check it out," Lagoona smiled, hurrying down the hallways. After a few minutes, Lagoona and Abbey found the hallway. They walked down it, reading the numbers aloud. Finally, they arrived at Room 705.

"Are here," Abbey said. "Now what?"

Lagoona knocked on the door, and a teacher instantly answered. She had wavy, gray hair and black eyes. Her dress was metallic, and her body had a very distinguishable pear shape.

"Yes, girl? What do you need?" Her voice was scratchy.

"Um, do you remember Madison Jayne?" Lagoona asked hopefully.

"Madison...Jayne?"

Lagoona nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Nope. Can't recall her."

"Listen," Abbey said. "Says here she was in your class. You must know her!"

"I don't. Why do you need to know her anyways?"

"School project," Lagoona answered. "She died, and we need to research her."

"The last ghoul who died here was in 2007," Mrs. Anguish said. "All teachers got an invitation to the funeral, but I'm pretty sure only one came. She was talked about for weeks. But I don't think that's the ghoul you're talking about."

"So do you know Madison? Yes or no?" Abbey said.

"No."

"Okay. We go now."

"Thank you," Lagoona said.

"You're welcome," she said, closing the door behind her.

"Rude," Abbey said. "What teacher does not know of her student?"

"It is odd, but we have six more teachers to ask."

"What is next one?" Lagoona looked down at the schedule in her hands.

"Mad Science with Mrs. Jersea Devil in Room 716."

"Is on same hall. Thank goodness." The duo walked past a few classes to Room 716. When they got there, Abbey knocked loudly on the door. A female with curly, red hair, bright orange eyes, maroon skin, and two wings opened the door.

"Come in! Come in!" She beamed, motioning the girls into the classroom. When they were inside, she sat at her desk and looked up at the two. "What can I help you with?"

"Madison Jayne," Abbey said. "Was student while back. You remember?"

"How far back?" Mrs. Devil asked.

"2007," Lagoona said.

"Then, I don't know her," the teacher said. "I'm sorry for not being a bigger help to you, but-"

"It's fine," Lagoona interrupted. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"You didn't." Lagoona and Abbey let themselves out the room.

"Am curious why teachers not know her," Abbey said. "Do we have wrong schedule?"

"No," Lagoona answered. "It says her name right on the paper. But next is Mr. Ben Ganda in Room 738. He teaches Social Studies."

"Like Baganda! Ha! Fun name! I like."

* * *

Clawdeen turned around and let out a shrill scream. A knife was punctured into the door. The werewolf backed up.

"That was NOT there when we came here."

"What is this place?" Draculaura asked.

"Her bedroom." Clawdeen felt something run across her shoe. She looked down and saw a large, brown cockroach. She shrieked and kicked it off her. It scurried away into a crack in the wall.

Draculaura walked towards the bed and sat down as Clawdeen looked in the dusty mirror. Her reflection's skin was pale and had a gray undertone. The eyes were bloodshot and had deep red irises. The hair was dirty and matted, and the clothes were shredded, ripped, and torn. She was frowning. The reflection then put her right pointer finger up to mirror and wrote words that showed up through the blood, fog, and dirt. Although the words were backwards, Clawdeen read "Save Yourself." "Draculaura...I think we should leave..."

"Hold on, silly. We just got here." A poster suddenly peeled off the wall. Underneath the poster, there were words written in blood that said "LEAVE OR THEY'LL DROWN YOUR CORPSE." Draculaura fainted, and Clawdeen rushed over to revive her. The door then locked, and Clawdeen whipped her head back to see the lights flicker.

"C'mon, Draculaura," Clawdeen panicked. "Don't leave me alone." She shined the light from her still-recording phone into Draculaura's face. The vampire didn't budge. The bedroom lights went off. The only one that was still on was a black desktop lamp. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"You ask like it's your house and a guest has come," an unknown voice remarked. "But this is our playground, and you are NOT INVITED!" Chills were sent rolling up the two ghouls' spines, and Draculaura awakened.

"Why'd you turn the lights off?"

"I didn't."

* * *

"Mr. Hack's next," Gil said. "Shouldn't be so bad."

"Dude, he's probably slinging knives everywhere," Deuce countered.

"No, don't be like that. He's probably...working."

Suddenly, the two saw Mr. Hack's door fly open. They peered in through the doorway, and a knife was automatically flung at Gil. However, he dodged it, and it landed in the right eye socket of a skeleton. It was automatically followed by a series of maniacal laughs.

"Called it."

"Oye!" Mr. Hack shouted. "What are you blokes up to?"

"U-um," Gil stuttered. "We were just wondering what you were like as a teenager?"

"A teenager, aye?" Mr. Hack threw a knife at a black widow, hitting it right in the center of the red hourglass. "I was a gamer. The best of the bunch! My bloodies and I would battle with games. We still do today, although I prefer the board games we used to play back in the old days. Now, it's all fancy gadgets and controllers! Dah! Back in my day, the only controller we needed was a twenty-sided dice!" He spit on the floor before continuing. "I was on the Chess Team back then. Had Kindergrubber cheering for me. I definitely liked her back then. Shy, but likable. Pretty ghoul she was." Gil and Deuce looked at each other, then they looked back at Mr. Hack. "We went to the prom in our senior year. I gave her a black rose but just recently found that she still has it."

"So you were a gamer, were on the Chess Team, and liked our Home Ick teacher,' Gil summarized. "What grades did you get?"

"Oye! I don't remember anything other than that they weren't good ones." He cackled, causing Gil to take a step back and Deuce to raise his eyebrows.

"I, uh, think we'll be going now," Gil said, grabbing Deuce by his arm and pulling him out of the classroom. Both walked away from Mr. Hack's class when Gil said, "He spits when he talks," earning a chuckle from the gorgon.

* * *

Frankie and Operetta made it to Music Festival. They walked inside and saw people scattered across the main floor. They also saw a woman with olive green skin, brown hair piled up in a beehive hairdo, brown, concentrating eyes, a white dress with a skirt covered in pink and orange flowers, an orange blazer, and glasses resting on her nose. She was sitting at a desk, staring a computer. Frankie and Operetta stepped up to the counter of the desk. The earthy woman didn't look up, but instead typed on a computer.

"Hello," the secretary- Mrs. Sage- said in a monotone voice. "Welcome to the Bizet Hall. What can I help you with?"

"Um...hi? I'm Frankie. Frankie Stein."

"Yes, yes. Now what do you need?" She repeated in the same monotone.

"I need you to stop looking at that computer and actually carry on a conversation!" Operetta sassed. "We have an important question for you!" Mrs. Sage looked up at the girls and gave them an agitated glance. "Now, if you wouldn't be so ru-"

"Sorry, but where are the judges for Music Festival?" Frankie interrupted.

"In the practice room," Mrs. Sage said, looking back at her computer to type again.

"Uh, thank you?" Frankie said. "But where is the practice room?" The secretary rolled her eyes.

"Left. Left. Right. Left. Straight down. Right. Right. Fourth door on the left." The two eagerly left the woman alone.

"Man! That woman gets on my last nerve!" Operetta seethed.

"Yes, but you should be polite," Frankie said. "She's helping us, remember?"

"Mmm...hmm..." They turned down the left hall. "I've met hungry tigers nicer than that sack of worms."

"Come on, Retta. Be nice." They turned down the next left hallway. "Hey, think of it this way. You don't have to talk to her again." They turned down the right hallway.

"I shouldn't have had to talk to her with that attitude anyway! I reckon she shoulda been nicer to us!" They skipped the next hallway and turned down the right hall.

"I'll talk to her next time if we have to talk to her again. How does that sound?" They turned right.

"Fine." The teenagers stopped at the fourth door on the left. Frankie knocked on the door.

"It's open!" A voice shouted from the inside. Frankie opened the door and stepped inside, Operetta following behind. The practice room was painted eggshell white and had dark gray tiles covering the floor. Instruments were set up along the perimeter of the room, and there were light gray folding chairs and music stands in the middle facing the front of the room. Also in the front, a conductor's stand and chair faced the empty audience of chairs and stands. On the left wall, there were cases for brass instruments, while on the back wall, the cases for woodwind instruments sat. The right wall was used for percussion instruments, and the wall in the front had guitars, a drum set, a keyboard, and a microphone. Not including Frankie and Operetta, there were three other people in the room. The first was a normie girl who was in her late twenties. She had wavy, blonde hair that reached her shoulders, tanned skin, and blue eyes. She wore an off-the-shoulder top and light blue skinny jeans. Her open-toed heels were nude and shiny with bows on them. She had fake eyelashes on, as well as bubblegum pink lipstick. She was busy fixing the chairs. The second was a monster ghoul who was in her early hundred and thirties, but looked quite young. She had curly, white hair that was put into a messy bun, but some strands were hanging down on the side of her face. She had white eyes with blue snowflake pupils and periwinkle skin. She wore a strapless, knee-high, ice blue dress that had white sparkles that imitated snow on the skirt and white platform wedges. Her lips were a gray-blue, and her white eyelashes were adorned with snowflakes. She had a crown of snowflakes atop her head and snowflakes and gems on her forehead in a V-shape. She emptied the spit from a trombone. The last was a normie man in his late twenties. He had brown hair and eyes and caucasian skin. He wore a white tee underneath an opened, blue, black, and white plaid button down. The long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the collar was pulled down as well. His jeans were ripped at the knee, and he wore blue and black Nike sneakers. He fixed a broken clarinet. None of the judges looked up. "Hello!" The human girl said in a sing-song voice.

"Uh, hi. I'm Frankie. Frankie Stein," Frankie said, waving towards the figures. The human girl looked up towards the simulacrum.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Missy Hampshire."

"Wednesday Barren," the monster woman said, still not looking up. However, the human male did, meeting Frankie's multi-colored eyes.

"Jacob Parker."

"What can we help you-" Missy was cut off as she gazed towards the purple-skinned monster. "Operetta?!" Wednesday looked up, and she and Jacob also looked towards Operetta.

"I thought you lived in Louisiana," Wednesday commented, surprised that Operetta was there. "Did you move here, or are you just visiting?"

"Yeah, I moved. Maybe a year or two ago."

"What a small world..." Jacob said to himself.

"Well, what can I help you two with?" Missy smiled. She walked up to the dry erase board in the front of the classroom. The board had five horizontal lines printed in rows on it. Missy picked up a blue dry erase marker and drew a treble clef and the 4-4 time signature on the lines. She then drew a few circles. Some were colored in, but some weren't. Some had lines, but others didn't. She also wrote a "pp" with a crescendo leading up to a forte, where she put an "f".

"We're trying to look for information," Operetta said.

"On what?" Wednesday asked, putting the trombone back in its case.

"More a who than a what," Frankie said. "Madison." Missy went still and dropped the marker.

"Who?!"

"Madison."

* * *

"Is hopeless," Abbey sighed. "We talk to five teachers and none of them know her."

"Well, Mrs. Goa Lem and Mr. Ali Bahamut were busy, so they probably just wanted us out," Lagoona tried to reason with her.

"Is simple question. Should not be so rude."

"We have two left, but the first is Coach Akuma Oni in Room 103."

"Akuma is "demon" in Japanese," Abbey said.

"You're passing with flying colors in Dead Languages, aren't you, mate?"

Abbey shrugged and replied, "Is interesting class." The two walked to Room 103, which was on a completely separate hall. The classes on the hall were the arts classes and extra curriculum classes. They entered the gym, where they saw a group of volleyball players practicing with two coaches: a female and a male. "Hey!" The volleyball team all looked towards Abbey. "Coach Akuma Oni! You are needed!" The male coach nodded towards his team and jogged towards the ghouls.

"What am I needed for?"

"Question," the yeti said. "Do you know Madison Jayne?"

"Nope," he said, blowing his whistle. The team stopped practicing. "Now, if you excuse me, I must get back to my team." He jogged off, leaving Lagoona and Abbey behind.

"Is waste of time!" Abbey groaned. "No one knows Madison. We should give up. Of no use."

"C'mon, love!" Lagoona cried. "You can't think like that! We have one teacher left. Mrs. Willow Wisp in Room 107. She's the music teacher."

"Lagoona, we ask six teachers. They all say same thing. What make you think last teacher is different?"

"Stop being such a pessimist. I feel like this one will be different!" The ghouls headed over to Room 107. Lagoona knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Mrs. Wisp shouted. Lagoona opened the door, and she and Abbey entered the classroom. The room was filled with instruments in the back of the room, and chairs in the front. A young teacher stood in the front of the room, erasing the board of the daily reminders. She had light periwinkle skin and long, wavy, white hair that ended at her tailbone. Her eyes were crystal blue, and her lips were orchard purple. She wore a white, ruffled dress that ended at the knee. "What can I help you with?"

"Do you know a Madison Jayne?" Lagoona asked, hopeful that just one teacher would know the student.

"Madison Jayne?" Mrs. Wisp repeated. Lagoona and Abbey bit their lips and looked at the teacher with hopeful eyes. She sighed. "That's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

"Finally!" Abbey crowed. "A teacher that knows this ghoul!"

"What do you need to know about her for?"

"Well, miss, we have a project at our school, Monster High, where we need to learn about her," Lagoona answered. Abbey nodded.

"We already know she's related to Viperine and Deuce, but-"

"Deuce?" Mrs. Wisp interrupted, her eyes turning sorrowful. "How do you know about Deuce?"

"He is friend," Abbey answered with a shrug, as if it were it was common knowledge.

"Why?" Lagoona asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Last time I'd seen him, he was in ninth grade," Mrs. Wisp said. "It was a Friday night at about seven o'clock. We had practice after school for the chorale, which was made up of a dozen people; well, it used to be thirteen, but Madison...well... After my chorale left middle school and went to high school, they always came back to put on concerts and productions. But he always stayed after later than everyone else. I gave him a teacher-parent conference form before he left for the weekend. The Monday the next week, the school was told there was a huge accident. There were ambulances, cop cars, news vans, and more. And Deuce didn't show up the rest of the year."

"Must've been bad," Lagoona said, curiosity filling her.

"So you two know him?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lagoona answered. She squinted her large eyes to look at the teacher in confusion.

"I, uh, I need to tell you something." Abbey and Lagoona looked at each other with an odd look in their eyes. They could read each other's mind, but not the guilty look that the teacher held in her eyes.

"What is it?" Lagoona asked.

"Something happened to Deuce within the last month of me seeing him, and I don't know what it was." The duo leaned in with interest. "The entire month of February, he'd seemed different. He was weaker and constantly on alert. He was paler, scrawnier, and looked so...out of it."

"What do you mean?" Abbey asked. Mrs. Wisp put her head in her hands.

"It's my fault. I should've done something, but no one would listen." She took her head out of her hands and quickly wiped her eyes, ignoring Abbey's question. "In the middle of the month, I remember he had marker on his neck. It was a purple dot on his vein," she mumbled. Her breathing became more staggered, and she grabbed the skirt of her dress with her hands and squeezed, trying to calm herself down. "Within the last week of February, he looked better physically. He had less bruising. But he wasn't doing well mentally. He seemed anxious...scared." Her hands squeezed tighter at the dress. "One of our rehearsals was in the morning before school started. He got to the room panicking and panting before passing out within the first two minutes." Her foot started tapping as she continued to ramble. "It was February 27th. We had chorale rehearsal from four to six. After it ended, four students stayed: Deuce, Thomas, Gail, and London. They all focused on whatever music they wanted in the practice rooms. They all started leaving until it was seven, and Deuce was the only one left. He asked to use the phone in my office. He never did that."

"Do you know who he called?" Lagoona asked.

Mrs. Wisp stopped tapping her foot and let go of the dress. She shook her head. "No...I don't. When he finished, I gave him the form. He told me it wasn't the first one he'd gotten. I asked if his parents had ever shown up to the the school, and he said only once. He left the classroom and barely a minute later, and I heard a scream. I ran out of the classroom to see blood on the brick wall and a car speeding away." She took a breath. "The janitors have long since cleaned the walls, but the stain is still there. I can still see the blood drip down the wall..." She trailed off, thinking to herself. "I felt horrible. I knew something was wrong. I left for home with a knot of guilt in my stomach. The knot grew bigger and tighter when his cousins came to school. I felt awful about everything."

"Do not let it get you down," Abbey said.

The teacher released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She stood up. "Okay, so Madison. What about her do you need to know?"

"Anything school-related," the yeti said.

"Alright. Madison was a student who was neither well known or liked. She and her brother were bullied daily, and no one bothered to remember their real names. They only called them by the nicknames given. B*tch, Whore, Slut, Harlot, and Trailer Park Queen were a few."

"What was Deuce called?" Lagoona asked tentatively.

"Faggot was a huge one. So was School Shooter. One girl liked Emo Freak. Madison couldn't stand her."

"What did they do wrong to earn the calling of names?" Abbey asked.

"No one took much of a liking to them, but they heard rumors that both, but mostly Madison, were brought to the bar a few times a week and were...let's say... _taken advantage of_ ," she said slowly.

Lagoona's jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

"Yep," Mrs. Wisp nodded. "They were mostly good students, only given detention when they told the teacher something he or she didn't want to hear and when they were bullied. They got all A's." Lagoona and Abbey nodded. "But everyone knew there was something...odd...about them. The way they walked and sat down. The way their eyes would glaze over everyone as if they were looking through them instead of at them. The way that they'd skip lunch and purposely stay after school to help out, almost as if to avoid going home. Even their body language! Madison would avoid being touched if it wasn't by someone she knew well and trusted with her life. They tended to stay away from others. People judged them, and they never cared, since it was always them against the world."

"Why do other teachers not know her?" Abbey asked, still confused as to earlier.

"Madison was always a quiet student. However, I noticed when she was comfortable around someone, she opened up to them. Became more outgoing. But she never talked or yelled aloud during classes. She wouldn't raise her hand or ask questions. She only spoke when spoken to, and since none of the other teachers even bothered to talk to her, she was left unknown to the other teachers. They probably only know her by the nicknames given to her by the school bullies."

"Okay. Makes sense."

"One day, in the middle of April, I had noticed Madison didn't come to school, but Deuce had," Mrs. Wisp began, taking a breath before continuing. "They would never come to school unless the other had come with them. Only I noticed though, and when I confronted him, he said he didn't want to talk about it yet. I told him it was still open to discussion and let him go. A few days later, he asked to talk to me, and when we went to the music practice room, he started crying and said Madison had died and had told me the date of her funeral. He asked me not to tell anyone, but I told him I'd have to tell the principal. He said that was fine, and that afternoon, I told Mrs. Rosewater. She gathered all the teachers the next morning and told them everything. The only thing she didn't tell them was the one thing I didn't tell her: how Madison died. Deuce told me, but I didn't want to tell them everything- he begged me not to. On the date of the funeral, I was the only teacher who came. It was more crowded than I thought, and there were somewhere around a hundred and fifty cars, and most of the monsters didn't even come in a car. I knew she wasn't well-known. It took me a little while to remember that she and Deuce were Greek, so most to all these monsters were family."

"Was there not a lot of room in the church?" Abbey asked.

"You could say that," Mrs. Wisp chuckled. "Many monsters stood up. However, I noticed one thing at the funeral."

"What was that?" Lagoona asked.

"I never seen their father once at the funeral. Madison said her mom was a monster and her father was a normie, but there was one male normie at the funeral. He stayed around two females- a monster and a normie- the entire time. When I asked him, he said he was a judge at Music Festival, and while he treated Madison like a daughter, they weren't related."

"Her father never came?" Lagoona repeated, trailing off. "That's...awful."

"Deuce was next to his mom, aunts, and cousins pretty much the entire time, but another ghoul was with him as well. She looked like a normie. She had brown hair, green eyes, and a flower in her hair. She and Deuce left halfway through the funeral to sit outside."

"Do you know her name?" Lagoona asked.

"I believe it was Calla or Caileen or something. Could be Coleen, but I'm not sure." This earned a nod from Lagoona. "Anyway, Nereid, she was buried next to a line of children, and I believe they were all related. I faintly remember her, Deuce, and their cousins- I believe it was Lana, Seth, and Piper...maybe...I could be wrong- staying after school to help clean up and play a few of the instruments. Anyway, the flowery ghoul at the funeral and a boy with brown hair, ram horns, and goat legs stayed and talked with Madison and her family briefly. I distinctly remember them calling the boy Jason. However, on the same row Madison was buried on, there was a boy named Jason who died at eleven years old- the exact age the brown-haired boy was that same year. It could be coincidental, but I'm not sure."

"Any other proof why you think they are related?" Abbey asked.

"When I first met Madison and Deuce, the rest of the class and I thought they were twins. However, they said they started as triplets. When I asked who and where their other triplet was, Madison said she died before she was born. Right beside Madison's grave was a headstone for a ghoul named Ianthe Gorgon, who had one date on her headstone- March 5th, 1994- which is the exact date of Madison and Deuce's birthday."

"So due to these two things, you think everyone on that row was related to her?" Lagoona said, checking just to make sure.

"More than that. Follow me."

* * *

"Now we just need Coach Igor, and then we're finished!" Invisi Billy said.

"I hope he's in the gym," Slo Mo groaned. "I don't exactly want to go on a wild goose chase trying to find him."

"He'll be there." The two teens entered the gym to find Coach Igor blowing his whistle, trying to get the attention of the basketball team. When the coach noticed the two, he walked towards them.

"What would you like, boys?"

"What were you like in high school?" Invisi Billy asked.

"In high school, I was the same handsome, young man I am now," Coach Igor said with a smirk. Invisi Billy and Slo Mo chuckled, but while Slo Mo stifled it, Invisi Billy covered it with a fake cough. Both tried to hide the fact that they clearly thought it was a joke because he was by no means handsome or young. "Those were the days...I had all the ladies since I was a jock. However, I dated Irene Maiden. Lovely ghoul she was. She was snobby and tightly-strung, but sweet and loyal when you truly met her."

Slo Mo groaned, "So you were a jock then, too?"

"Sure was. I played on the football, soccer, baseball, and casketball teams. I may not have been the captain for each sport, but I was one of the best players in each team."

"Has your team ever lost a game?" Invisi Billy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Once, and I couldn't make it to the game that day!" Coach Igor laughed at his own joke, but it quickly turned choking. Once his coughing died down, he continued speaking. "We were the best team out there! No one could beat us!"

"What kind of grades did you get?"

"Let's...change the subject on that one. All you need to know about me is that I was jock, the best of the bunch, a handsome guy, a ladies' manster, and I dated Maiden."

"Well, okay," Slo Mo groaned, curious as to the sudden mood change of the teacher. "Thank you for your time, Coach Igor."

"You're welcome." He turned to the basketball team. "Hey! I never told you to stop!" Invisi Billy and Slo Mo sneaked out of the gym. The second they were out, they burst out laughing.

"I wonder how 'handsome' he was in high school," Invisi Billy laughed.

"Just goes to show things change I guess."

* * *

Draculaura and Clawdeen sat huddled together on Madison and Deuce's bed. A newspaper blew off the desk and under Clawdeen's feet. Clawdeen picked it up, skimming the words.

"What does it say?" Draculaura asked, trying to get her mind off the horror of the room.

"Construction manager cancels the destruction of an abandoned house. Francis Rocks, the construction manager of Gargoyle Works, ends the project the day it starts," Clawdeen read. "Rocks and his employees went to look at an abandoned house a few days before they bulldozed it down." Draculaura peered at the newspaper, seeing a picture of the house she and Clawdeen were in. "'When I first saw the house,' Rocks stated, 'it was in horrible condition. Outside the house, there was an unkempt garden of roses with wilted flowers and mostly thorns, and there were spiderwebs everywhere we turned. There was even a large hole that one of my men tripped in. There, he found four bones that belonged to a young child- most likely a monster-normie hybrid. It seemed as if the hole was a temporary grave for the kid.'"

"Was that for Madison?" Draculaura interrupted, horrified.

"That's the only thing I can think of," Clawdeen said. She looked back at the paper. "'The inside of the house was just as untidy,' Rocks continued. 'Broken beer bottles, empty cigarette cases, small glass pipes used to smoke with, and bags of drugs littered the floors every which way. The attic even had a nest of cockroaches!'"

"I feel bad for these men."

"'We had agreed to take the house down three days after. However, the night before our project started, I had a dream that quickly transformed into a nightmare. It started with us bulldozing down the house. After it was all complete, I felt as if something had been released. I had brushed it off. The next day, seventeen people were found missing. I thought it was just coincidental. Then, people started dying with an unexplained cause. Their ages ranged from babies to the elderly. These people were both monsters and normies and were of all species and races. We all just thought it was a terrorist attack. Planes started crashing, killing hundreds of people, and buildings were being burnt down. Normies and monsters were both homeless and unemployed. Everyone who was left realized it wasn't a terrorist attack after natural disasters happened. Tornadoes and storms took care of what the fires and planes didn't get. There was then too much heat and Sun and not enough water, causing a drought. At the end of one day, millions of people had died. I then saw eleven children on the foundation of the house. They were all about fifteen years old. The first was a boy was side swept caramel hair, angel wings, and a halo. The second was a red-skinned ghoul with straight, black hair and bangs. The third was a ghoul with curly, blonde hair and large, blue fairy wings. The fourth and fifth both looked like normies. The fourth was a ghoul with long, wavy blonde hair and a blue skirt. The fifth was a ghoul with black, wavy hair and a red tee with black skinny jeans. A boy with brown hair, horns, and furry legs was sixth, and a ghoul with horns and brown hair was seventh. Two ghouls were twins. They had green snakes and corsets on. The tenth was a ghoul who had wavy, blue hair and horns, and the last was a blonde boy with horns and furry legs. I knew right then that they were all dead. They lived in this house, and I had taken it away. They were getting revenge for me destroying their place. The next day, I cancelled the project. I told my men that we couldn't destroy this house- even if it was unfit for living. There were no kidnaps, unidentified deaths, plane crashes, burnt buildings, tornadoes, storms, and droughts the next day.'"

"Whoa..." Draculaura marveled.

"'I truly think those kids gave me the nightmare as a way to tell me not to burn down that house. It was their way of stopping me from taking it away.' When asked if Rocks thought that if he had destroyed the house, if he would think that everything would happen, he answered, 'Of course, everything would happen. Now, I'm not a superstitious man, but I truly know that it was for the better that we didn't destroy the house.'"

"That's why they kept this house up," Draculaura trailed off.

"Where is he?!" An unknown voice yelled.

"W-where is w-who?" Clawdeen stuttered, her usual confidence completely disappearing. The spirit let out a high pitched, shrill scream of terror, and a mirror broke. "We need to get out of here!" Clawdeen jumped off the bed and hurried to the window that had planks covering the outside. It wouldn't budge, and upon further inspection, the wolf realized it was nailed shut. She grabbed Draculaura's arm and pulled her out of the room and down the stairs. She stepped on a pile of glass shards, but even as they got lodged in her shoe, she kept running. When they got out of the house, Clawdeen stopped recording the video, and the two ghouls stopped running once they got to the end of the street. She called a cab, which picked them up shortly, and they drove back to her house. Neither said a word on their way back.

* * *

"Uh..." Jackson said, lost in thought, "probably just some sort of mix-up." Clawd played with the tab on the can of his Coke.

"That's no mix-up," Clawd mumbled.

"Just," Jackson sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Can you type the notes?"

"All of the names?"

"Just his children. Say how many people he killed, but you don't have to be specific." Clawd nodded and took notes of the names, constantly looking up at Jackson's laptop to copy the names.

"Hold on," Clawd said when he finished. "You never answered me. What about Ianthe?" Jackson shrugged.

"I guess since she was a stillborn, they never counted it."

"Are we done?" Clawd asked. "I can't handle this much longer. I just...wanna punch a wall."

"Yeah," Jackson nodded. "We're done."

"Finally!" Clawd downed the rest of his Coke and smashed the aluminum can in his bare hands. "I want to kill them both."

* * *

"Madison Gorgon," Jacob said. "How long has it been? Three years? Four?"

"Actually it's, uh, Madison Jayne," Frankie corrected.

"Madison Jayne?" Missy mumbled to herself in thought. After a moment, she spoke in a normal, clear volume, "Oh, right! I forgot her parents were divorced."

"What about her?" Jacob asked.

"Any information about her," Frankie asked. She had a feeling that these three adults knew her well and coming here was a good idea.

"Well, let's start with when we first met her," Missy began. "She was roughly tall for her age and very thin. Jacob automatically hated her."

"I did not _hate_ them," Jacob said.

"Yes, you did," Wednesday agreed with Missy.

"You disliked them due to their age, when we all know there was no age limit to the competition," Missy informed Jacob.

"We'd never had anyone that young who had performed," Jacob said, filling in Operetta and Frankie. "The youngest before them was ten, and he was an attention hog who didn't care for music and wanted to fool around on the stage. Needless to say, it definitely ruined it for me."

"Her and her brother were six at the time," Missy continued. "Both were lanky, but Madison had a grace about her that many people- monsters and humans alike- did not have. Her singing was much better than anyone else's that we'd ever heard inside and outside of Music Festival- even at her young age. It was elegant, audacious, auspicious, and would send chills running up and down your spine."

"And unlike others' voices, it appealed to the audience's emotions," Wednesday added. "The music, the lyrics, and her voice would mix to create a changing piece."

"From that day on," Jacob said, "they'd come to each competition, which was held on the first Saturday of February. And they impressed us even more each time."

"And they wrote all the songs themselves. The first song they sang was..." Wednesday trailed off, racking her mind trying to remember the title of a song she'd heard a decade ago.

"'Field of Innocence' was what they named it," Missy said.

"Oh, yes, Wednesday said, immediately remembering, "There was one section where it sounded like someone- could've been Maddie, but it wasn't- started singing in Latin."

"In 'Where Will You Go,' the end was the best part, where Deuce's and Madison's voices combined when they sang two different parts," Jacob said.

"'Good Enough' had an end that just made you think," Missy said. "It ranged from, 'I'm lucky to be me,' and 'I want to go out and help.' It was so different and strange, but in a good way."

"'October' was one of my favorites," Jacob said. "It was like there was someone singing alongside Madison in the chorus. Madison sang one thing, when someone else sang something completely different."

"'Lose Control' had a sense of mysterious beauty. It was if Madison was hiding something beneath the lyrics," Missy said.

"But she was," Jacob interjected.

"We didn't know that at the time," Missy said. "We didn't know until the competition after Madison died."

"Anyway, like 'Lose Control', 'The Last Song I'm Wasting on You' had many hidden meanings as well," Wednesday said, trying to get off the subject.

"Like what?" Frankie asked.

"For example, some of the lyrics were, 'Sickened in the sun, you dare tell me you love me. But you held me down and screamed you wanted me to die.'" Frankie looked into Jacob's brown eyes, trying to find anything that quenched her curiosity.

"How do they have hidden meanings?"

"We'll tell you after the songs," Wednesday said simply.

"Okay."

"'Missing' had whispering that didn't sound like it came from Madison. Like someone else," Missy said. Wednesday scoffed.

"You mention the whispering but not the fact that the song made you feel gross and dirty, like you needed to take a shower after hearing it." Missy rolled her eyes.

"'Hero' was the first time we'd heard Deuce actually sing a lead section for the competition," Jacob said, moving on. "He sang for backup before, but it was always quiet. This time, he did a duet with Madison."

"'Snow White Queen' took place in a bar and was probably the most emotional of all the competitions for Madison. She had a panic attack on the stage. She was crying, shaking, and panicking. But somehow, she made it through the song," Wednesday continued.

"We all panicked though at the end of the song," Missy said. "We were standing next to a man with brown hair and green eyes. At the end of the song, he cursed loudly and went backstage. We found him in the back minutes later asking for Madison and Deuce."

"We lied and said we didn't know where they were," Jacob said.

"Which was probably for the better."

"'Not Gonna Die' was very well-executed," Wednesday said. "It was like all of them poured their heart and soul into that one song."

"'What I Believe' was just as good, if not better. It was more of a 'if-we-go-down-we-go-down-with-a-bang' kind of song. They weren't going to lose without a fight, and they knew it," Missy said. "It felt like everyone was cheering for them. The youngest ones would make the biggest impact, and everyone would want to say 'I cheered for them' or 'I was on their side.' It was definitely something to think about. The ratio of people who were for New York- or Boo York, whatever monsters call it- to Oregon was absolutely insane." Operetta nodded.

"I didn't know a single person who actually voted for New York to win," Operetta agreed, remembering their performance.

"No one did," Wednesday said. "Well, except that ghoul's family. It was the only reason they 'tied' anyway. Her daddy was the head judge."

"We all knew it wasn't fair. Thankfully, we had this one," Missy stopped to pat Jacob's back, "to help them out. He, along with the other judges, convinced the head judge to make it a vote."

"First, he refused," Jacob recalled. "But there was an uproar, and he changed it to not make himself look bad."

"Okay, what about the hidden messages?" Frankie asked, trying to get the answers that she'd desired earlier.

"After everything, we realized that everything that they sang actually was about their life," Jacob noted sadly. "Losing all innocence and forgetting what it felt like to be a child. Telling their father that he can't go on a day without making someone feel worthless, and he needs to stop hurting himself in order for him to stop hurting others. Realizing they will never be good enough for anyone. Knowing that through everything, they always have to go home and take what's waiting for them without complaining. How they want to just lose control and forget everything—all the abuse—ever happened. Telling their father that they've found a way to handle the abuse and pain. Thinking that no one would care if they died. Telling everyone that they needed help but never receiving any. Knowing they are powerless and more like their father than they thought. Staying alive after each day. And not giving up on each other and the rest of the world." Jacob sighed. "Each song had a snippet of their reality." Wednesday nodded.

"But we didn't realize that until it was too late."

* * *

"Guess I'll just do this bloody project without her! If she doesn't want to help, her grade can and will suffer," Scarah grumbled to herself. She caught sight of Irene Maiden walking down the hall, and she immediately hurried up the teacher. "Hello, Mrs. Maiden! What a lovely day we're having, don't you agree?"

"Ah, yes," Mrs. Maiden agreed. "Storm clouds above us."

"So Mrs. Maiden, is it possible that I could know what you were like in your teenage years?" The teacher laughed.

"Now, Miss Screams, I don't want to bore you with my high school years."

"Oh, but I insist!"

"Well, alright," the teacher said with a smile. "I was the Cleo de Nile of my high school. The snobby, uptight queen bee. It was perfect or pointless back then. If I didn't get my way, heads would roll."

"That does sound like Cleo," Scarah agreed.

"I was the captain of the fearleading team as well. The typical "mean fearleader." I had my reasons though. If they couldn't accept it, then forget them. However, I had a lovely boyfriend back then. He was very sweet, but protective as well."

"He was the Deuce to your Cleo?"

"I guess if that's what you want to call it," Mrs. Maiden said.

"Who was your boyfriend?"

"Who you know as Coach Igor."

Scarah choked on the air. "Coach Igor?!"

"That's right," Mrs. Maiden laughed. "However, he was so...narcissistic! We stayed together through high school, but once college came rolling along, I broke it off. There was no way I was going to be with a guy who thought that he himself was better-looking than his ghoulfriend. Probably why Igor never got a wife."

"That isn't right for a manster to do that," Scarah mumbled.

"Exactly what I thought too!"

"So what kind of grades did you get?" Scarah changed the subject.

"Usually B's."

"Anything else important you need to tell me?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Alright, thank you for your time, Mrs. Maiden."

"You're welcome. It was no big deal," the teacher said with a smile. She then continued down the hall to her destination again.

"Now, off to the others!" Scarah smiled.

* * *

Ghoulia clicked on the first video. It began playing.

The scene began in Madison and Deuce's room. The room was pitch black, except a small line of light coming from an open door behind the camera. Lamia, who was holding the camera, walked towards the bed. Cleo and Ghoulia saw that Deuce and Madison were in the bed sleeping; Deuce was on the right side of the bed and Madison was on the left. Deuce laid on his back, and Madison laid on her side with her head and right hand on Deuce's chest.

"Good morning," Lamia said in the video, the early hour not fazing her in the slightest. Deuce groaned and flipped over onto his stomach. He then buried his face into his pillow as Madison sat up.

"What do you want, Lamia?" She asked, her voice drowsy from sleepiness.

"I have received a camera to record your movements and embarrass you with them until the day you die."

"Mmm...That's nice," Deuce answered, his deep voice becoming lower and inarticulate.

"So anytime you do anything stupid, it will be recorded," Lamia pushed.

"Why couldn't this have waited?" Madison grumbled.

"I felt the need to tell you."

"Okay," Madison said, getting off the bed and walking towards her cousin. "You told us. Now get out." She put her hand in front of the camera and covered the screen, causing Cleo and Ghoulia to only see Madison's hand. The video then stopped.

"Deuce sounds adorable with a sleepy voice," Cleo said. Ghoulia rolled her eyes.

"He said two words."

"It was still adorable." Ghoulia clicked on the next video, which started in a pink room at a desk with a mirror that had light bulbs bordering it. Madison sat in a chair, facing Viperine, and Lamia was recording. The boys were nowhere to be found. Viperine curled Madison's eyelashes as Madison looked at a clock nearby.

"Where the hell did they go?" She asked. Her voice had a bit of an edge to it, as if she was panicking internally.

"No idea," Lamia answered. "I heard Seth rambling that Missy told everyone to get dresses. You know how he is. It probably relates."

"We're leaving soon," Madison sighed. "I hope they realize that." A woman in an orange shirt and jeans came up to the trio. She had three dresses in her arms. She laid them down carefully on the back of a chair before leaving. "Are those the custom ones?" She looked towards them without turning her head. "The ones for the awards ceremony?"

"Yep," Viperine said, dusting highlighter on Madison's cheekbones.

"Yes!" Lamia cheered. She put the camera down on the desk, but it was angled so that the audience could still see. The first dress was a sapphire blue dress with a skirt that ended at the ankles. The torso and sleeves were nude, but at the bottom of the sleeves and chest piece, there were little, brown trees decorated with many blue beads. Below the chest piece, but above the skirt, there was a sapphire blue belt that was shaped like an hourglass on its side in the front. The second dress was strapless, cotton candy pink and had a sweetheart top. The torso was covered in many, white rhinestones. The last dress was black and red with a sweetheart top. It had a red corset with a black, floral arabesque pattern on it. The skirt was crushed velvet. The first layer of the skirt was black. The layer underneath that was red, and the layer underneath that was also black. The high-low skirt was floor length in the back, but ended at the knees in the front. The sleeves were low and exposed the shoulders, but they were black and frilly. There were also silver chains connected to these sleeves.

"Wait, should we put them on now?" The gorgon with pink snakes asked.

"I'm not waiting," Lamia declared, reaching for the blue dress on top. Viperine finished fixing up Madison's face before grabbing her own dress and handing Madison the black and red one. Lamia turned the camera so that the camera couldn't record the girls changing, and Viperine closed the curtains. They stripped out of their clothes and into the dresses. "Gods, ghoul! Don't you eat?!"

"Shut the f*ck up," Madison responded. "I'm not in the mood."

"Moody," Viperine mumbles.

Lamia scoffed. "B*tchy."

"Nosy," Madison shot back. "I'll eat what I want when I want it."

"You wonder why regular clothes don't fit you!" Viperine cried.

"Oh, no. I don't wonder. I already know," Madison shrugged. "It's fine though," she lied. "I like corsets though. It's creepy and gives me a haunted look. I like my style, Mrs. I-wear-booty-shorts-so-short-that-you-can-see-my-whole-a*s-so-I-can-get-dudes-to-hump-me." Viperine laughed as a small smack was heard. Lamia moved the camera, so Cleo and Ghoulia could see the trio. Viperine twirled around in a circle, smiling giddily. Then, all three ghouls looked in the same direction. Madison covered her mouth, laughing at whatever she was looking at. Viperine laughed as well, and Lamia hurried over to the two figures.

"Oh my gods!" She laughed. "Look how beautiful you are!" Seth and Deuce came into the screen up to the ghouls. Seth wore a sleeveless, sky blue, mermaid style dress with a sweetheart top and a belt of white rhinestones. The back had extra fabric, making the dress look full. Lamia walked up to Seth and wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his chest. Seth wrapped her in his left arm and rubbed her back.

"So," Madison laughed. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like a motherf*cking princess," Seth said.

"Why are you...wearing a dress?!" Viperine asked incredulously.

"Missy said we _all_ have to wear dresses," Seth answered. "So we did. Well," he glared at Deuce. " _I_ did." Deuce laughed in return.

"I have dignity," he shot back. "Unlike you."

"Why?" Madison asked herself. "Why is this a normal thing for us?"

"Alright," Seth said. "I'm gonna go get me some tits." Viperine choked on the air.

"Wait, what?!" She squeaked.

"Imma find me some of those fake breast enhancers."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's talking about chicken cutlets," Lamia laughed. "There were silicone ones somewhere around here when we first came in," she said, looking around the room. Seth found them unopened on a shelf.

"Found 'em. Now, how the hell do I-" Lamia ripped the package from Seth's hands and opened them. "It's not hard. You just...tuck 'em in here." She pulled out the circular pieces of silicone and pulled out the top of Seth's dress. She inserted them into the built-in bra of his dress, then put the dress back to normal. Seth looked down. He touched his chest, smiling.

"I love them," he said, raising his eyebrows and smiling. Madison smacked Seth playfully on the arm.

"You're such a dude!"

"Hey, do you mind getting my makeup bag?" Viperine asked the boys. Seth raised one of his eyebrows.

"But it's right there." He pointed to a makeup bag sitting on the desk.

"No, the other one. It's black and pick with a scale print. It's in yours and Lamia's practice room." Seth stared at her as if she grew another head. "Ghouls will often have more than one makeup bag." Seth shook his head, as if he decided to just accept it.

"Sure," he said. He slapped Deuce's chest, and they both raced out of the room. However, a yard away from the ghouls, Seth tripped on the dress's excess fabric and landed face-first. However, he stood back up and continued to run.

"Why do we have these two out of all the boys in the world?" Viperine asked her cousins when the boys were out of the room.

"Admit it," Madison laughed. "Your life would be sh*t without them."

"Admitted," Lamia said, twisting a black mamba around a pale finger.

"Yes, I also admit it," Viperine said. "Life would be muy boring, but-"

Yelling was heard from down the hall. Seconds later, Deuce and Seth returned to the ghouls, a black bag in Deuce's hands.

"Dude, you missed it!" Deuce laughed as he tossed Lamia the bag.

"What happened?" Lamia asked, catching the bag easily.

"First, there was a woman who looked at us like we were freaks. And Seth..." He trailed off, letting Seth finish the story. Seth smiled and chuckled.

"I yelled, 'You're just jealous 'cause I can pull off this dress better than you ever could and my tits are better than yours!'" Madison busted out laughing.

"No, you did not!"

"He really did!" Deuce laughed.

"And on the way back," Seth continued, "there was a ghoul who pulled up her dress, and- oh my gods. She had a freaking penis. Not even joking on that one."

"She wasn't a drag queen or anything," Deuce said. "She just-"

"Thank you for getting my bag!" Viperine said, quickly trying to change the subject. "And thank gods I told you to get it."

"Alright, I'm taking this off now," Seth said.

"I thought you liked it," Madison said.

"I do, but I'm also starting to sweat." He tried to pull the dress over his head, but to no avail. He tried to push it down to step out of it, but that didn't work either. He turned his head and attempted to look at his back. "Is there a zipper or something?" Lamia looked at his back.

"Nope."

Seth tried to get out of the dress once more, but he couldn't get out. "Oh gods," he said, panicking. "Go get the scissors!"

"We're not getting scissors," Madison said, walking over to her cousin. "If you got in the dress, you can get out of it."

"Fine," he said. "At least help me out of this f*cking dress." Deuce tried to help Seth out of the dress but only managed to get the top down to his waist.

"Lay down," Deuce said. Seth complied and laid down on the floor. Deuce looked up. "Dude, where is your underwear?"

"In the hotel."

"Did you even put any on this morning?" Madison asked.

"Hell no. That sh*t's confining. My balls need to breathe."

"Oh my gods." Lamia said, kneeling next to her brother. "Deuce, pull the right side up." Deuce did as he was told and pulled up the dress. Lamia pulled up the left side, and the camera shut off, the video stopping.

"I just wonder sometimes," Cleo said after a moment of silence.

"We're entering danger territory," Ghoulia groaned. "Do you want to move to the next folder?"

"Might as well," Cleo said. Ghoulia clicked on the "Music" folder and then the first video.

The video began with a young incubus who appeared to be no older than twenty-five or twenty-six. He was sitting in a gray chair. "Welcome to 'Behind the Screams,' the show that interviews the best monster bands of the day. I'm Ryan, and today, we're interviewing one of the hottest bands on the charts- not just for rock, but for all the genres of Music Festival: For the Forgotten." He grinned, obviously enjoying his job.

The camera panned to reveal Deuce, Madison, Lamia, and Seth sitting on a gray couch beside Ryan.

"In case you don't know them 'cause you've been living under a f*cking rock for the past week," Ryan continued, "these are the youngest members in the competition, and coincidentally, the most talented. We've got the drummer, Seth-"

The camera zoomed into Seth, who put up his index and middle finger and tilted his wrist.

"Crazy, sexy bassist, Lamia!"

The camera moved to Lamia, who laughed at Ryan's antics. Her white teeth contrasted against her dark red lipstick.

"Star of the show and possible prodigy, Madison."

The camera moved to Madison, who smiled under the camera's view.

"And the kid with the rage! Deuce, the guitarist."

The camera moved to Deuce, who grinned and put his head down slightly, humbly.

The camera zoomed out, revealing all five on the screen simultaneously.

"So this is your third interview," Ryan said.

"Yeah, we're getting some practice," Seth said with a nod.

"How are you enjoying Music Festival so far?"

"This is completely life-changing." Madison grinned. "Everything about this experience has been exceptional."

"And you've gotten quite far considering how young you are," the man said.

"Don't jinx it, Ryan," Seth said jokingly.

"But really, how old are you?" Ryan said to the group.

"Under the age of consent, so don't get any ideas," Deuce said. The group laughed, and Deuce smiled, "Nah, I'm just playing. Lamia is fourteen, and we're thirteen."

"What do you think makes it so that you've gotten way farther than the other groups- groups that are way older than you all and have way more experience? Like, is there something about you that makes you different than other bands? Something you have that other bands don't. Okay, this is some horrible phrasing. What makes you guys f*cking awesome?"

"Probably the fact that we're f*cking awesome," Lamia said simply. "Why else?"

"Fair enough," Ryan laughed. "Use three adjectives to describe Lamia."

"What the hell is an adjective?" Seth mumbled.

"Like big, small," Madison said.

"Oh, okay. Short. Is short an adjective?"

"Yeah, there's one," Ryan said.

"Dynamic?" Deuce offered.

"Maybe...crude," Madison added.

"Ooh, yeah," Deuce agreed. "That's a good one."

"Alright, three to describe Madison. But this time, negatively," Ryan said. Deuce laughed, and Madison glared at him.

"Watch yourself," she said. "We share a room."

"Okay, fine, stubborn," Deuce said. "Stubborn as hell."

"Crass," Lamia said.

"You can definitely be offensive. But it's funny, so I don't know if that would be negative," Seth rambled.

"Three to describe Deuce sexually," Ryan laughed. Deuce put his face in his hands and laughed.

"Under the age of consent, remember?" He said into his hands.

"Powerful," Lamia laughed. Deuce took his face out of his palms, revealing a red face, but he laughed along with her.

"Why powerful?"

"I'm trying to be clean."

"How about abundant?" Seth added. Deuce laughed harder, turning more and more red.

"Raunchy," Madison said. Deuce couldn't contain himself as he guffawed, but this time Lamia, Seth, and Ryan joined in.

"Raunchy," Lamia repeated, laughing. "That's my favorite."

"Is that even a word?" Seth asked.

"Yes, you dumba*s." Lamia smacked Seth's arm, and he swung back, but missed on purpose.

"Alright," Ryan said trying to catch his breath, "Three to describe the way Seth plays his drums."

"Powerful, abundant, and raunchy!" Madison interjected. The group bust out laughing again.

"I can't do this with you guys," Ryan said. "Alright, now that we're on the subject, who in this group are doms and who are subs?"

"Oh, f*ck," Deuce muttered.

"Well!" Lamia turned to look at Deuce, who turned red once more. He laughed as she continued staring at him, "Deuce, would you like to answer that?" Deuce laughed harder as Lamia looked back towards Ryan and the camera. "This one's submissive."

"I'm not submissive," Deuce said.

"Yes, he is," Madison agreed with Lamia. "He's got a need to be dominated." Deuce buried his face in his hands. He could feel himself turning redder.

"No, I don't."

"Don't believe him," Lamia said. "But as for the rest of us, I can go both ways."

"Same," Madison nodded.

"I think I'm more on the dominant side," Seth said with a smirk. "It's not something I usually think about though."

"Okay," Ryan laughed. "So...an apocalypse happens. Where is your hideout?"

"Maybe..." Madison thought, "Maybe somewhere with a lot of land. Like a forest or something."

"But that's how you get yourself killed quickest!" Deuce exclaimed. His face was still red, but he was just glad Ryan was an interviewer that never stayed on the same subject long. Constantly changing, he got bored too easily, and his inconsistent, all-over-the-place yet entertaining interviews reflected that.

"Okay, smart guy," she said, "where would you go?"

"Walmart," Deuce answered. "They've got everything there. Need food? It's covered. Water? Same. Guns? Ammo? Got that too. It's perfect."

"That's true," Seth said, turning towards Deuce and pointing his index finger at him. "That's very true."

"I'm staying with Deuce when the apocalypse comes," Lamia said. "He knows what he's doing."

"On a more serious side, Deuce. You've had one of your songs leaked, correct? 'Eternally Yours'." Deuce nodded. Suddenly, the video changed scenes. It changed to a view of Deuce in his practice room. He had his guitar, but other instruments were already recorded on a device. He hit play and played guitar with as the device began playing music he'd already recorded, testing out to see if the song sounded alright together.

"Blow the bridge to the past. Wipe the fingerprints. Melt your heart encased in wax. Steal it with a kiss." His voice was rough as he screamed. "Our fate engraved, scar enslaved, as we mutually destruct. Repose, my love, I've sinned enough for the both of us." He took a breath before screaming an inaudible "in the name of love." Suddenly, the switch flipped. "I'm ready to bury all of my bones. I'm ready to lie but say I won't." His voice was deep and smooth like melted butter, but it was clear as glass unlike before. "So tell me your secrets and join me in pieces to rot in this garden made of stones. Eternally yours." He went back to screaming. "I feed like you taught me and selflessly swallow. We coalesce in darkness, so selfishly hollow. Examine the wreckage. Writhing in tempo. Invisible anguish casting a shadow." Like before, the "and in the name of love" wasn't clear enough to be understood. He changed again, singing the chorus. "I'm ready to bury all of my bones. I'm ready to lie but say I won't. So tell me your secrets and join me in pieces to rot in this garden made of stones. Eternally yours." He yelled, "As we rest in pieces, though I know not your name, I would suffer forever to absolve all of your pain." The music became less aggressive as he sang softly yet powerfully, emotions swirling through the lyrics. "And in the name of love." Cleo felt herself melt.

"Oh my Ra."

"I'm ready to bury all of my bones. I'm ready to lie but say I won't. So tell me your secrets and join me in pieces to rot in this garden made of stones. Eternally yours. I'm ready to bleed to make amends and sleep in this dirt we call our bed. So tell me your secrets and join me in pieces to fall and rewrite the bitter end. Eternally yours." He continued playing guitar. He screamed, "I'm more than willing to rot in hell with you." The scene flipped for the last time, going back to the interview with the four Gorgons on the gray couch.

"Do you want to talk about that?" Ryan asked, the video picking up where it left. The siblings looked at each other before Madison looked back at the Ryan.

"We don't necessarily write music to entertain people. We perform music and make music videos and all that for their entertainment, but we write for us." She looked at her fingers as she played with her hands in her lap. "Only about sixty percent of what we write makes it out. The other forty is private and personal. Half of the forty we share with the other, but the other half is completely private, and no one knows it exists. And we respect that." She looked back at the interviewer. "It's truly a shame that some people don't share that some level of minimal privacy and respect."

"There's a fine line when it comes to writing music," Deuce said. "You want it to be personal, but if it gets too personal, it can get weird and uncomfortable. So the super personal stuff, we keep to ourselves." And he stopped for a moment, trying to think of what to say before continuing slowly. "Madison didn't know about my song. That was how I wanted to keep it, and then someone thought they could get away with exposing my music. It wasn't right, and of course, I would like to know who leaked the music. But there's really nothing you can do at this point. Everyone's already heard it, especially since our music gets listened to a lot around here. But it does make me upset, since I'm not hiding it because I don't like it or think it's not worthy of an audience; I hide it because it's private. It's for me and me only. And that's what people don't understand."

"So I'm guessing you wouldn't be willing to share the meaning of the songs with us," Ryan concluded. Madison looked towards her brother. Deuce shook his head.

"I can't do it," Deuce said. "It's not meant for an audience, so I won't give them any information about it. I don't want to seem rude but...but it's not something I necessarily want the whole building to know," Deuce finished, his face red and flushed. The video went off, and Ghoulia sat up as straight as a zombie could.

"Do you want to move to the next video?" She asked.

"No," Cleo said, still thinking about Deuce's song. "I think...I think we're done here."

* * *

"Time to share!" Scarah said to her group, who were all gathered in Monster High's student lounge. "If you didn't help out, leave now." She glared at Toralei and Spectra, who left grudgingly. No one noticed Manny tapping his foot uncomfortably or Heath biting his nails.

"Alright," Robecca smiled. "I have my notes already typed thanks to my handy-dandy typewriter. I'll add all the other notes in the same parchment." Everyone nodded, except Manny and Heath. "Should I read you my notes as well?"

"Go ahead, Robecca," Gil said.

"Well, Headless Headmistress Bloodgood was an All A's peacemaker. She often volunteered for helping the community and never had time for a boyfriend. Mr. Where was a drama fanatic. He and his group of friends- Natalia, Ella, and Hayden- all enjoyed drama class, and all were in the drama club. Mr. Where, like Bloodgood, didn't date."

"Thank you, Robecca," Scarah said.

"Should we go next?" Gil asked.

"Go ahead," Robecca nodded.

"Mr. Hack was a gamer. He'd round up his bloodies for game nights and would constantly win. He was on the Chess Team. He liked Mrs. Kindergrubber." Robecca quickly typed the information as Gil spoke.

"Speaking of Mrs. Kindergrubber," Deuce said, "she was an art nerd, who also liked Mr. Hack. Mrs. Kindergrubber was a shy ghoul in the Art Club. Hack and Kindergrubber went to prom together." Robecca typed that in too.

"Thank you both," she cheered. "Next!"

"Coach Igor was a jock on the football, casketball, baseball, and soccer team," Invisi Billy said. "His team lost one game, but that was it. Coach Igor also said he was the best jock on the team- which we don't know how accurate that is, and he dated Irene Maiden." Robecca typed the information Invisi Billy told her.

"And Rotter?" Scarah asked.

"Mr. Rotter was a class clown with overly large hair that stuck straight up. He failed to impress teachers, but impressed students due to making them laugh. He was in no clubs, and he wasn't in a relationship," Slo Mo groaned. Robecca nodded and typed the information in.

"Who's next?"

"I'll go next," Scarah said. "I had Mr. Zarr and Mrs. Maiden. Mr. Zarr was an All A student on the Math Club, Science Club, Academic Team, and Chess Team. He was a nerd and would be bullied. He'd often have to do some bullies' homework, but he was proud that he was an All A student." Robecca typed the information, her metal fingers clinking against the typewriter. "Mrs. Maiden was the captain of the fearleading team. She was stuck up, snobby, uptight, and-"

"Cleo?" Invisi Billy joked. He was rewarded with laughs from everyone except Deuce. Even Manny and Heath laughed, although it was done nervously.

"Yes," Scarah laughed. "She dated Coach Igor, but they broke up in college due to him being narcissistic."

"Grades?" Slo Mo groaned.

"B's." Robecca typed the information, then she turned towards Meowlody and Purrsephone.

"Alright, werecat twins. It's your turn."

"Mr. Fenderbender got all A's and B's, and he was a teacher's pet. Often called Goody-Two-Shoes, he somehow managed to get a ghoulfriend. He also played golf a lot," Meowlody said. Robecca was about to type when Scarah put her hand on Robecca's right arm. Robecca received the hint and didn't type.

"Dr. Clamdestine was a jock with low C's and D's. He also had a ghoulfriend who was a blonde bombshell," Purrsephone added.

"Well, that's it. We're going to the Coffin Bean," Meowlody purred.

"We'll-meow... _cat_ ch you later," her sister said. They laughed to themselves as they exited. The second the door shut, Scarah turned to face her group.

"They're lying!"

"What?" Invisi Billy questioned, already knowing the answer.

"They lied about the entire thing! In their mind, it felt like they were flipping cards."

"Well, then what's the real information?" Robecca asked. Scarah closed her eyes and put her fingers to her temples. After a few moments, she put her fingers down and opened her eyes.

"Dr. Clamdestine was a prep who thought he was too good for ghouls."

"Yay," Deuce said sarcastically. "Another narcissistic teacher."

"I know, right?" Invisi Billy agreed.

"Mr. Fenderbender was a stoner who skipped class, was always in detention, and got D's and F's. He'd start fights and never had a date."

"Are you sure this is the real information?" Robecca said cautiously.

"Positive." Robecca nodded, trusting the mind reader, and typed the real information. Gil looked towards Manny and Heath.

"How about you two?"

Heath nervously laughed. "Uh...heh, heh?"

* * *

Mrs. Wisp led Lagoona and Abbey to the main hallway. Without turning to look at the girls, she said, "Mrs. Anguish and I were supposed to clean out her locker, but we felt as if we shouldn't when we saw what was inside." She turned down the seventh grade hallway, and the other two followed suit. She stopped halfway down the hall and knelt onto the floor in front of a bottom locker with the number '7293' engraved on a small sheet of metal on the front. The locker was covered in black Sharpie with the words "b*tch," "slut," "emo," and "whore" written on the door.

"Why has no one cleaned this?" Abbey snarled.

"Janitors tried- lazily so, but they tried," Mrs. Wisp said, putting in the combination '12-26-4' in and opening the graffitied locker door opened. Inside, there was a shelf and many things filling the locker. There were many pictures of kids of all monster species that all looked similar. There were also textbooks, a case of reeds, valve oil, and mouthpieces for trumpet, french horn, baritone, and tuba. An old book with a leather binding also sat on the shelf. This book was filled with pages of music, which included tab, chords, lyrics, and music notes on measures. Below the shelf, the bottom of the locker was littered with six bullet shells, a pocketknife, four metal nails, and a wilted violet.

"There were as many graves in the row as there are children in this picture," Mrs. Wisp broke the silence, pointing to the picture of Madison, her brother, her half siblings, and her—at the time—soon-to-be stepsisters. "However, Deuce and the flowery ghoul hadn't died yet, so there'd be two more monsters missing in this picture. I believe it was the last triplet and another who died before the picture was taken.

"Other students would write on her locker daily. They'd say it was to 'show her where her place was.' It was unnecessary, but still an example of how the students hated her."

"How do you know all this?" Lagoona asked. "I thought Madison was super private, and considering the other staff members in this school, I'm surprised you know as much as you do."

Mrs. Wisp shook her head. Her hair fell around her face like a mask. "Unfortunately," she said softly, "I was one of the few people that actually listened to them, and they knew it. I've always been there for all of my kids, but that group...chorale..there was a special place in my heart for those kids. We were all so close, and I knew those kids inside and out."

She picked up one of the bullet shells and stared at it. "I knew there was something going on. We all did. And all of my kids struggled with different things, and I tried to help them all when and where I could." She rubbed the shell with the thumb, scratching the cold metal. "But whoever their social worker was never really did their job, and nothing was taken care of. That's why they were stuck for so long."

She looked back up the teenagers, who were staring at her with wide eyes, eyes that held both sadness and curiosity. "The one thing I could really do to help them was listen. Give them someone to talk to." She put the bullet shell back next to the others. "That's why I know as much as I do. Madison trusted that I would listen."

Lagoona nodded. "I'm glad she had you in her life." She gave the teacher a small smile.

"Any more information about her and school?" Abbey asked.

"None that would be useful to you," Mrs. Wisp said.

"Thank you so much," Lagoona said.

"You're welcome," Mrs. Wisp smiled, standing up, and walked back to her classroom, leaving the two ghouls. Lagoona took a picture of the front and back of her locker door, not to mention recorded the inside. She shut the locker door.

"Alright. Let's go, Abbey."

* * *

"What do you mean you don't have the information?" Deuce exasperated.

"We may have..." Heath trailed off, "lost track of the time."

"You've had a week and a half!" Invisi Billy shouted.

"Only!" Manny bellowed.

"You had one job!" Gil shouted. "One!"

"And only one teacher!" Scarah added angrily.

"This really grinds my gears!"

"We've already said sorry!" Heath said. Deuce took off his sunglasses and stoned Heath and Manny.

"I'm getting the information myself," Deuce said, slipping his sunglasses back on. "Why waste any more time?"

"I'll come too," Gil said. He and Deuce disappeared through the door, leaving the group to glare at the statues.

* * *

"Too late?" Frankie inquired.

"Madison died before we could stop anything from happening," Missy sighed. "We were told that she was murdered, and Deuce, Seth, and Lamia didn't want to compete in the worldwide competition in May unless she was there with them. Therefore, New- I mean, Boo- York's competitors went instead."

"And lost," Jacob added. "Obviously."

"A pretty Chinese girl won," Wednesday said. "I believe her name was Meili Daiyu. Meili meaning "beautiful and graceful." Daiyu meaning 'black jade.'"

"She had the prettiest hair. It made me want to grow mine out, straighten it, and dye it black," Missy swooned.

"I know!"

"And the Indian girl, Ayana. The daughter of Kali, the Hindu goddess. She almost won as well," Missy said. Jacob rolled his eyes.

"But Madison would've won."

"Oh absolutely!" Missy nodded quickly; the others worried she was going to give herself whiplash.

"Without a doubt she would've won," Wednesday agreed.

"Do you know how she died?" Frankie asked.

"No," Missy shook her head, "they never told us."

"All we know is that Madison died, and the police found her in an empty alley and saw that she was...um..." Wednesday trailed off at the end.

"Let's go with...mistreated," Missy said.

"Yeah," Wednesday mumbled.

"So she was murdered?" Frankie asked. Jacob nodded solemnly. "Oh my ghoul."

"What about the funeral?" Operetta asked. "Was it an open casket ceremony?"

"I mean, she was burned, so it was hard to tell what caused her death," Missy said.

"But funny story," Jacob said. "We lost Wednesday seven times in three hours."

"Were there a lot of rooms or-"

"There were a LOT of people," Wednesday said, emphasizing "lot".

"How many?" Operetta asked.

"We lost track after speaking to eighty-four people," Wednesday said.

"Eighty-four?!" Frankie squeaked.

"Most of the people there were family," Missy cleared up. "The only person who wasn't a family member was a young woman...what was her name..."

"Willow Wisp," Wednesday finished her thought.

"Yes! It was Willow asking if Jacob was the father of Madison."

"I didn't see her father at all," Jacob said.

"None of us did," Wednesday said. "That's because he didn't come."

"Hold on a second," Frankie interrupted. "He didn't come?"

"It appears to be that way," Missy said.

"Oh."

"Anything else you want to know?" Wednesday asked. Operetta nodded.

"I've heard her voice, so I kinda know the answer, but for Frankie's sake and so I can quote it for the project, what did Madison have that the others didn't, causing her to win all those years?"

"Well, Madison's voice had so many different elements," Missy said. "Audacity, beauty, angst, peace, mystery, and comfort were only a few."

"She also brought out emotions in the audience that the other competitors couldn't do," Wednesday added.

"But it wasn't just Madison," Jacob said. "Whoever was playing at the time, whether it was just Deuce or Lamia, Seth, and Deuce, they all had skills that couldn't have been beaten by the competitors. Plus, in a few songs, there was that mysterious singer."

"Mysterious singer?" Frankie asked. Jacob nodded. "Can we watch one of the songs with the singer? We've already listened to all the songs, but on Lamia's phone. We couldn't see anything suspicious on it."

"You can, but we're not promising anything," Wednesday shrugged. "We would have seen it at the show."

Missy said, "I say do 'October.'" Wednesday nodded. She went to the front of the room and stood behind a laptop. She opened it and typed a few things in. She then clicked on a video, and it showed up on the whiteboard in a larger format. She hit play, and the scene began with Deuce strumming his guitar and Madison getting ready to sing.

"I can't run anymore. I fall before you. Here I am. I have nothing left. Though I've tried to forget, you're all that I am. Take me home. I'm through fighting it. Broken. Lifeless. I give up. You're my only strength. Without you, I can't go on. Anymore. Ever again."

"Get ready," Missy warned. On the screen, a translucent figure appeared in the left hand corner of the screen, forming out of nowhere. She stood directly next to Madison. "There she is!"

"My only hope."

"All the times I've tried."

"My only peace."

"To walk away from you."

"My only joy. My only strength."

"I fall into your abounding grace."

"My only power. My only life."

"And love is where I am."

"My only love." Wednesday paused the video, which revealed Madison and the ghost standing next to each other.

"Ianthe..." Operetta said breathlessly.

"I who?" Wednesday questioned.

"That's Ianthe; she's Madison's sister," Operetta answered.

"She's the youngest triplet," Frankie added. "The one who died before birth."

"She's the one who's singing background?" Missy confirmed.

"Yeah," Operetta nodded.

"She's just as good as her other two siblings," Missy said.

"Anything else?" Jacob asked.

"The inside jokes!" Missy blurted.

"What?" Frankie asked.

"Oh yeah!" Jacob grinned.

"During the practices, Jacob and I would watch and listen to Deuce and Madison's conversations. Everything was littered with inside jokes. Right, Operetta?"

"Yeah," Operetta agreed.

"The ones who couldn't compete got to work with the competitors who could," Jacob said. "Operetta was told to watch and listen to Madison and Deuce with us, since she was supposed to be with them."

"Half of what they said was an inside joke, " Missy said, "meant only for the other to understand."

"For example," Jacob said, "when they were decorating the room, Deuce painted the walls, and Madison tried to make the blood for one of the walls. Her goal was to make it drip a little, then dry up quickly. It took her forever, but when she finally made it, she left it in a corner and helped Deuce finish painting. Once the walls were dry, Madison went back to the bucket of fake blood, and it was all dried up."

"She'd gotten so mad because it took her an hour and a half to make. And it was ruined," Wednesday laughed. "She said to Deuce, 'Just skip the bleach. This stuff will knock you right out.'"

"What?" Frankie asked. "What does that mean?"

"You know how some people who want to kill themselves drink bleach?" Missy said.

"Oh my ghoul! She seriously made that joke?" Missy nodded.

"And that wasn't even the worst."

"Oh...well...is there anything you think we should know?" Frankie asked. The judges looked at each other before Missy sighed.

"There is something you should know." She sat down and took a breath before continuing. "It was the competition after Madison died. We were walking around welcoming the guests when we saw Deuce. It looked like something was...something was just wrong. But nonetheless, we asked if he was competing. He said that he wasn't. So we talked until about two minutes before it started, then we left to go to our seats."

"Throughout the competition, we all kept looking back to make sure he was okay, since we all had that gut-feeling that something was up. It wasn't until a man came up to him that Jacob jumped out of his seat in the middle of someone's performance and we knew something was up," Wednesday said.

"He was getting all up in his face! Then, he hit him!" Jacob reasoned. "What was I supposed to do?"

"I wasn't saying you were wrong!" Wednesday clarified.

"Anyway, I pulled the man off him and pulled Deuce closer to me," Jacob continued. "He lashed out at him, and I swear, some of the things he said to Deuce were...just.." He took a breath. "You shouldn't tell them to anyone, much less your own _son_."

"What did he say?" Frankie asked.

"I refuse to repeat that," Jacob said, more to himself than to Frankie.

"So Jacob pulled Deuce over to me and told me to sit in the back with him until the show was over," Missy said.

"But we couldn't concentrate, so we ended up ending early anyway," Wednesday said.

"What happened?" Frankie asked.

"I don't know..." Missy sighed. "But we were in the back with him, and he was a mess. Like, an actual emotional train wreck. And we didn't know if it was because of what happened or because of Madison and the memories Music Festival brought back. All we know was it was enough for him not to come back the following year."

"Did you know anything was wrong?" Operetta asked. "With him and his father, I mean."

Missy, Wednesday, and Jacob looked at each other. After a few moments, Missy sighed.

"I mean..."

"What happened?" Frankie asked.

"We drove to New York on a tour bus," Missy said. "All eight of us, plus the driver. It was a long trip, one that lasted three days. There were bunks that they shared. Lamia took the top, Seth and Deuce took the middle, and Madison and Viperine took the bottom. We were all in the back."

"It was the second night," Wednesday said softly. "We were all sleeping before we were woken up abruptly by screaming."

"I went to go see what it was," Jacob said, "and I saw Deuce freaking out. He was screaming and shaking, and Seth was trying to calm him down. The second he saw me, he went haywire. Backed completely up into the wall and was screaming louder and...well..."

"It was pretty bad," Wednesday said. "Let's just say that." Missy nodded in agreement.

"Seth told me to leave," Jacob continued, "and I would've questioned it, but his eyes were pleading and Deuce needed it."

"Seth showed up in our room about two hours later. He said he had a nightmare that converted into a panic attack," Wednesday said. "Looking back on it now, I guess he was scared that his dad was going to hurt him, and in his tired, anxious state of mind, he saw his dad instead of Jacob."

"Whoa, hold on a second!" Frankie said. "He was scared his dad was going to... _hurt_ him?"

Their faces became grim.

"You didn't know?" Missy said, her voice equally soft and sad.

Frankie and Operetta looked at them with confused, curious eyes.

"Mark used to beat them."

"Wait, what?!" Frankie's eyes widened in shock.

The judges looked at each other, not quite sure what to say.

"No, he didn't. H-he couldn't have...could he?"

"I'm afraid that's the truth," Jacob said.

"We didn't discover it until it was too late," Wednesday mumbled.

"Too late? You mean after Madison died?" Operetta clarified.

"No...I mean after Deuce died."

* * *

"How do you screw that up?!" Deuce ranted as he hurried down the hallway.

"No idea," Gil panted, struggling to catch up with the gorgon.

"Let's just get this over with." They turned into the gym, where they found Coach Igor and Coach Verizhe.

"Hey, what can I help you with?" Coach Verizhe asked.

"We're working on a project and need to know about our teachers as teenagers," Deuce said.

"Well, I was a jock on the football, casketball, and baseball teams," the coach smiled. "Ghouls swooned for me. Guys envied me. I was a popular kid. My grades may not be all A's, but they were decent. B's and C's. I passed, and that's what matters."

"You said ghouls swooned for you," Gil said. "Did you have a ghoulfriend?"

"Almost had one several times. However, someone kept spreading rumors about me, so I never had the chance to get one."

"Anything else?" Gil asked. Coach Verizhe shook his head.

"Alright," Deuce said, "Thanks, Coach."

"No problem, son." Deuce and Gil left and hurried down the hallway.

"What did that take?" Deuce asked his friend, "Thirty seconds? They couldn't cut thirty seconds out of their _very busy lifestyle_?" Gil shrugged as they turned into the student lounge. "Jock with B's and C's," the gorgon told the group. "Football, casketball, baseball."

"He had no ghoulfriend, since someone would spread rumors about him," Gil added. Robecca typed the information, thankful that someone had gotten the coach's information to make up for Manny and Heath, who were still statues in the middle of the room.

"Anyone who didn't get the information doesn't deserve a good grade, " Slo Mo groaned, glaring at Heath and Manny.

"We'll tell Mr. Rotter that as we present our project," Gil said.

"Alright," Robecca said, pulling the paper out of her typewriter. "We'll catch each other later."

* * *

"What?!" Frankie's eyes watered. "Deuce didn't die! He's alive!"

"He's alive now," Jacob said. "But he wasn't not even two years ago."

"How is that possible?" Operetta asked. Her voice cracked from emotion, and she felt her eyes starting to burn. "Monsters can't just bring themselves back to life."

"You're right. They can't bring _themselves_ back..." Missy shook her head. "What am I doing? I've said far too much."

"No, wait-"

"I'm sorry. It's not our place to tell you."

"Oh, I...I understand. Thank you for your time," Frankie said.

"It was no problem." Missy looked towards Frankie with a sad smile. "It was nice to meet you," then she looked towards Operetta, "and see you again."

"If you have any more questions, just let us know," Wednesday smiled.

"Alright," Frankie said.

"Thank you again," Operetta added.

"You're welcome," Missy said as Operetta and Frankie left the room.

* * *

"Alright, does everyone have their information?" Frankie looked around at her group. Everyone sat at Frankie's house in the living room. Frankie still hadn't told the group about her newfound information, and neither had Operetta. It was eating them both alive, but they figured it was best to obey Deuce's unspoken wishes. If he wanted them to know, he would've told them by now...right?

"Yep."

"Course, mate!"

"Yes."

"Uh, duh!"

"Operetta and I have ours too."

"Do you think..." Clawd suddenly cut himself off. Frankie looked over at him curiously.

"Do we think what?"

"Do you think it...might be time to read her diary?" He finished. Everyone looked around at each other, no one knowing quite what to say.

"I...I don't know, gills," Lagoona admitted. "I seems so...rude to snoop into her diary like that. Dead or not."

"Lagoona's right," Jackson agreed. "It does seem weird to me too. But it's also not like I've done it before either."

"We've already looked into her past. What's in her diary shouldn't scare us. It's just everything we've researched put into her own words." Operetta said.

"Fish ghoul right," Abbey said. "It doesn't seem like good thing to do."

"But we've went through all this work!" Frankie cried. "This is the climax! This is what we've been leading up to!"

"Listen," Cleo said. Everyone looked at her, knowing a pep talk was in their future. "They gave us her diary for us to read. They wanted us to read it. Not reading it would be like-"

"Throwing away a birthday card without reading it and only keeping the money," Clawdeen interrupted.

"That." Cleo nodded at Clawdeen.

"It still doesn't seem right," Lagoona said. "Listen, I know we've all worked hard and they want us to read this diary, but this isn't ours. We shouldn't get into this."

"Hey, there's a ton of people who would be fine with you reading their diary," Frankie reasoned. "She wants us to look into it. Find out what she went through. Not to mention, her cousins gave us this because they wanted us to figure out on our own how she died. How do we find out how she died if we don't read it?"

"Well...alright. But we should only go to a certain depth in this lake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making this chapter got so confusing, I wrote each scenario, split it, organized it, and copied and pasted it into the correct order.
> 
> Madison and Deuce sang "Broken" by Seether featuring Amy Lee, and the small snippet of Ianthe and Madison's song is called "October" by Evanescence as well. "You" by Amy Lee (with some things changed to fit better) as "Eternally Yours" by Motionless in White were also used.
> 
> Oh, and the song title is "Gold" by Sleeping with Sirens.


	4. This Isn't Fun Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team reads through Madison's diary and discovers many hidden secrets. While learning more about her, they are also forced to learn more about Deuce too, for the better and worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Garrett Sander officially stated on his Instagram page that Deuce's dad was a normie, but Mattel never got to reveal it. I'm reeling with excitement, since A. I knew it, and B. I'm glad it was finally mentioned! Although I wish we still knew more about him, I am grateful for what we've gotten regardless.
> 
> It's time for her diary! There were so many line breaks last chapter that there will be none in this chapter. It may get gory, but hey, this is Madison. She's a gory person.
> 
> I do not own Monster High or any of the songs used in the making of this story.

As all of the team sat gathered around the Steins' living room, Frankie pulled out a small book and flipped it open to the first page.

"There isn't any 'Dear Diary' stuff," Frankie said, "but by the way it looks, I'm sure we'll know when the entry finished. Especially if we read the dates."

"Alright," Draculaura said, hugging a throw pillow closely to her chest.

"You probably don't know me, so this will be an introduction page," Frankie began. "My name is Madison Gorgon, at least that's what I prefer. I go by Madison Jayne at school. Why? Dad was the one who signed us up, albeit reluctantly. I have a brother named Deuce and a stillborn sister named Ianthe. We would've been triplets. Anyway, Mom- in parenthesis, Medusa- and Mark- in parenthesis, my father- are divorced, and since Mark is a normie- and the courtroom was filled with normies and normies hate monsters- we have to live with him, but Mom gets us during summers, in which we go to Greece, particularly Petros- or Pistros, Greece to the normies."

"Wait, Deuce is half-normie?" Clawdeen asked.

"Yeah," Jackson said. "Didn't you see the mugshot?"

"I didn't get a very good view, and I guess it never clicked."

"I didn't know that either," Lagoona added. "And it's not like he ever told anyone."

"But it makes sense," Abbey said.

"It explains why he was indifferent towards the normies during Halloween," Lagoona said.

"And why he is so nice to Jackson," Operetta said. Once she realized how gruff it sounded, she quickly turned to him and gave him a quick, "No offense."

Jackson shrugged his shoulders. "None taken."

"It's a small, little island with no resident population...besides us," Frankie continued. "It's perfect because we aren't judged by normies who point their fingers and call us names. I think by listening to how fond I sound, it's safe to say I love it a lot there. It's my favorite place on Earth. Anyway, back to the short autobiography. Mark is an abusive alcoholic who tortures us for his own sick, twisted amusement. He hurts us. Yay, teenage angst! It took years for me to realize that it's actually abuse and not just us stuffing up, but hey, here we are. I have three cousins from my mom's side that I am very close with: Lamia, Seth, and Viperine, but there's plenty more cousins—well, family members in general—where that came from. They spend the month of February with Deuce and I in our father's house. We had two stepsisters named Iris and Kira by our stepmother, Marisa, who is a drug addict and also a sadist. We have/had ten half brothers and sisters named Chrysaor, Pegasus, Gabriel, Jason, Ashton, Caleen, Gwendolyn, Evangeline, Roxie, and Lacie. Two are by Mom and Poseidon, while the other eight are by Mark and six different women. None of the women are normies- an angel, a faun, a dryad, a demon, a fairy, and an air elemental. Mark chooses to fornicate with monsters because if you're a normie in a court full of normies with a monster as the defendant, the courthouse will have a hard time thinking you are the guilty one and not the monster- in parenthesis, the reason Deuce and I are stuck with Mark. I use music as an escape, but who doesn't? Most of the small details are in my profile, so enjoy those. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 31st day of January in 2006."

"Alright, so most of this we already kind of knew," Jackson said. "We should've came here first though. It's all laid out nicely and neatly for us." Frankie shrugged and passed the diary to Draculaura.

"Don't do anything stupid, and you won't end up in prison. No, it wasn't my fault...Okay, it was kind of my fault. Lamia wouldn't tell us where we were going, so we wound up in an illegal building in Nevada full of illegal drugs. It truly wasn't much different from the house. Cops came, and everyone there got arrested. Although Deuce, Viperine, Seth, Lamia, and I were the youngest ones there, we didn't go to juvenile detention. We went to a regular prison to be held. It's not like we broke the seven deadly sins or whatever they call it, but we're- _gasp!_ Monsters! Viperine, Lamia, and I share a cell, while Deuce and Seth share another. I'm pretty sure we're all plotting to kill Lamia, but she doesn't care- like usual. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 3rd day of February in 2006."

"So she's in prison?" Frankie confirmed. Draculaura nodded and passed the book to Clawdeen.

"I think the best part about humans is that anything and everything scares them," Clawdeen read. "Deuce and I know morse code, so we tap our nails on the vents to talk to each other- one tap for a dot and a roll- in parenthesis, quick taps using both nails- for a line. It really freaked out the staff, so I took it to the next level, but can you blame me? It gets boring in here. I made a whole show of looking the part of a madman. Little blood here and there and a few maniacal laughs later, and we ended up in a mental ward. Well, I say "we." Deuce did the same act, unbeknownst to me. Great minds think alike, right? We replaced our delinquent orange for madhouse white. But in all honesty, it's no better than the prison. Unlike the prison, Deuce and I share a cell because no one cares. We aren't in straightjackets or padded cells yet, but we're just waiting. Security here is weak, so the cell's a cinch to escape from. I wonder how long we'll be here...I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 4th day of February in 2006."

"Alright, so what I'm taking from this," Cleo said, "is that she's actually insane."

"Really?" Clawd asked. "I just got that she's incredibly sarcastic."

"And cynical," Jackson agreed as Clawdeen passed the diary to Lagoona.

"After the third day, I couldn't take it anymore. We ran away. Also, the psychiatric hospital really needed to add shatterproof windows, but I'm not complaining. We were on the second floor, so it was like jumping out of our bedroom's window. Well, minus the shattered glass and bloody hand. I've got practice bandaging myself and Deuce up though, so it wasn't really a problem. We are going to the prison to get L, S, and V. I will write in you soon, if I don't die- in parenthesis, or get caught- first. The 7th day of February in 2006." Lagoona then passed the book to Abbey.

"Wow. Guards really don't pay that much attention. We got in the prison effortlessly and broke out just as easily. We got to their cell and used a metal wire to unlock it. Lamia and Seth stole and used pepper spray on the guards, and Viperine used a taser on them once they were temporarily blinded. Deuce and I led them out, and we ditched Nevada and added it to the long list of places- in parenthesis, buildings, cities, states, countries- that we shall never return from. We got rid of the prison and mental hospital's clothes once we got home. Let's try not to experience that again, shall we? I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 8th day of February in 2006."

"It's sad that we never knew about this," Jackson said. "You think know a person..."

"I know," Frankie agreed as Abbey passed the book to Clawd.

"I don't know how many DUI's it takes for someone to get arrested for good," Clawd read, "but it certainly needs to be a much smaller amount. Cops showed up and took Deuce and I into the prison too. They were planning on finding us a foster home, but thankfully, they just gave us to Mom and called it a day. Usually, it doesn't work like that, so thank gods that worker was new and didn't know any better, since it's too late now. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 18th day of May in 2006." Clawd passed the book to Jackson.

"It was super hot in Greece, so Lamia, Seth, Viperine, Deuce, and I went to the grocery store to get ice cream. It was buy one get one free. So what did we do? We bought thirteen gallons of ice cream and got thirteen free. We spent almost fifty bucks on ice cream, but Viperine's spent more on much more frivolous items. We each got five gallons of ice cream in our favorite flavor and a rainbow sherbet. Viperine had lemon. Lamia had mint. Seth had chocolate. Deuce had strawberry, and I had vanilla. Our backyard- AKA the island- is huge with tons of acres, so we went out back and turned it into a competition. The rules were we throw ice cream at each other and looking at the colors on everyone- in parenthesis, yellow, green, brown, pink, and white- the one who hit the least amount of people with their ice cream had to let everyone else throw sherbet at them. We used our hands to scoop and chuck ice cream at each other. With our 'brilliant minds', we were all rainbow by the time we were done. Viperine had to let everyone throw rainbow sherbet at her in the end. We used the hose to clean the ice cream off of ourselves. Our moms didn't find out until they saw twenty-six empty cartons of ice cream in the trash, and we got a lecture on how wasteful that was, but it was totally worth it. We had a lot of fun today, and it was a good way to keep cool and act like idiots. I will write in you soon, if I don't die laughing first. The 3rd day of July in 2006."

"That actually sounds fun!" Frankie grinned.

"It really does," Clawdeen agreed. "Well, except having ice cream under your nails."

"You just wash it off," Lagoona said. Jackson passed the diary to Cleo.

"I returned from Greece today," Cleo read. "We always go during summer, but once school comes around, it's back to the States and back to Mark. The only thing I hate about going there is that Mark makes up for the times we aren't there. We get hurt enough each day. The two months added onto the day always ends up in trips to the hospital. _Always._ Deuce winds up breaking his ribs and a limb each time, and I break an arm, leg, wrist, ankle, finger, or something like that. I hate it, but after all those years, you learn not to think things like 'why me?' or stuff like that, since that's just your lot in life. That's just how it works, and you either accept it or die trying. I've got to go now. Before he gets upset. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 2nd day of September in 2006."

"That must be scary for them," Jackson said.

"Yeah," Clawd agreed. "I can't imagine that."

"The worst part is that they just accept it," Clawdeen growled. "They shouldn't have to accept that."

"Ghouls, would you like to read?" Cleo asked Ghoulia, motioning to the book in her hands. Ghoulia shook her head and groaned. "Okay, but let us know if you change your mind." Cleo instead passed the book to Jackson.

"Bar day today! We jumped right into it, no wait. Mark's impatience won't allow for anything else, of course," Jackson read. "In case you don't know, 'bar day' is exactly what it sounds like. Mark drags us to a bar and basically pimps us off."

"Whoa, wait," Clawdeen all but yelled, " _WHAT_?!"

"Is this bloke serious?!" Lagoona scoffed.

"What the f*ck?!" Clawd cursed.

Frankie yelped.

"Clawd!" Clawdeen shouted.

"This f*cking pig is disgusting!" Clawd shouted. "How can you not be fuming?!"

"Do people seriously crack a fat on pedophilia and rape?" Lagoona asked in shock.

"You'd be surprised," Draculaura mumbled.

"Are we just going to ignore the fact that she wrote 'us' and not 'me'?" Jackson asked, eyes wide with apprehension.

"Oh my Ra," Cleo murmured. "I didn't even catch that."

"Oh my god," Frankie said, eyes blown. "Deuce..."

"We just need to keep going," Abbey stated.

"I agree," Ghoulia groaned. "No sense in dwelling on something we can't change."

"Basically he'll sell us off to some creep with mangy hair, and nine teeth, and a cigarette in his mouth at the bar, and we'll be dragged off to wherever," Jackson continued. "Sometimes it's alleys, and sometimes it's run-down motels. Once it was inside one of those big, green trash bins out back behind the bar; these johns get creative. As long as you bite your lip and hold your tongue, it's not as bad. I find, the louder you yell, the longer it takes and the worse it is. Oh, and you can ask him to use a condom once, but if he declines, don't push it; that alone is recipe for disaster."

"Holy sh*t..." Clawd mumbled.

"Then, when it's over, go back to the bar and get sold off again. The problem with that is afterwards, you don't want to move. It feels better to just lay there because when you do move, pain just shoots up through you, and it hurts to move, and walk, and exist, and you want nothing more than to just curl up and die. Plus, you just feel disgusting, and no amount of scrubbing at your skin until it turns pink gets rid of the feeling of being dirty. It lasts forever, it feels like."

"Guys," Frankie muttered. "I can't do this."

"This entry can't be too long," Draculaura said. She grabbed Frankie's hand with her own and squeezed it gently and reassuringly. She felt sick to her stomach herself, but squeezing her friend's hand made her feel a little better.

"Today was an easier day," Jackson read. "There was only one guy today, and it was relatively quick. He was a human but thankfully didn't have enough hair to be a werewolf. Platinum blonde hair and silver eyes. He looked like a biker- leather jacket, calloused hands, and cheap hair gel. Sometimes I wish I knew their names. But knowing their name makes them human. A name gives them a personality and a backstory. I don't want to think of them as anything other than rapists, so it's better not to know."

"This is getting a little too deep for me," Lagoona said. "I don't want to hear about these root rats in detail."

"I've gotten used to the pain and the burn that accompanies it, but I'll never get used to the feeling of being suffocated by someone on top of me. Again, thankfully, it didn't last too long. He didn't stay and didn't ask for anything else. I've had plenty of guys try to make me give them head, but you bite one guy, and he squeals to the others. The usuals don't try too often anymore. I'm almost certain that Deuce has never given a blowjob before either, but I'm also not going to ask him."

"This is f*cking sick," Clawd mumbled to himself in anger.

"Anyway, because I won't get too detailed-"

"Little late for that," Clawdeen said, rolling her eyes.

"I'll end it here," Jackson said. "I will write in you soon, if I don't die of STDs first. The 3rd day of September in 2006."

"We aren't even that far into her dairy, and I already don't want to finish it," Draculaura said.

"I agree," Frankie said. "It's getting to be too much."

"But we need to figure out how she dies," Operetta said, "and the only way we'll find out is through this journal."

"Then, we can just skip to that entry!" Draculaura said.

"And miss valuable information that will tell us more about her?" Abbey asked. "No, we must continue."

"Let's just keep moving," Jackson said and passed the book to Clawdeen.

"Remember when we came home to an angry father like two days ago? Yeah, so Deuce and I had to run away. Mark was angrier than usual. He isn't exactly the happiest person in the world when he's drunk. Here are his exact words." Suddenly, Clawdeen stopped reading to the group.

"Well?" Cleo said after a moment of silence.

"It curses."

"So?" Cleo asked. "Clawd was too about three minutes ago."

"Say...blank-word," Frankie offered. Clawdeen nodded.

"'Worthless piece of s-word! GET OUT! I don't want to see either of your f-word-ing faces EVER AGAIN! Do you hear that? I will murder the people you love in front of your very eyes if I see you again. GOT THAT?!'"

"What kind of father says that?!" Clawd growled.

"Deuce and I have two 'bug-out bags' whenever we have to get out of the house quickly. The first contains clothes, while the second contains food, water, medicine, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, et cetera. We had to bring our book bags too. The worst part? We had to leave BAREFOOT. Who knows how long we'll be gone? I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 4th day of September in 2006," Clawdeen finished.

"They were kicked out of their own house..." Frankie murmured.

"They were twelve! Not even teenagers!" Clawd huffed.

"Everything I've been mad at my dad for seems stupid compared to this," Draculaura said. Clawdeen passed the book to Frankie.

"Today was one of those days where you get incredibly mournful and depressed over what could've been. My thoughts led back to the only thing I want: Ianthe. What would it be like if we were a _normal_ family? This comes across my mind a lot. What I would give, for just one day where I could have a father who cared, a sister by my side, and a normal life. I understand that it's just wishful thinking, but I just get into these moods sometimes. I don't know. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 5th day of September in 2006."

"That's really sad," Lagoona sighed.

"Like unhappy yak," Abbey said.

Clawdeen passed the book to her brother.

"These bugs are eating me undead! I hate this so much, but it's a thousand times better than living with Mark. And hey! Someone besides my family loves me! Mosquitoes think I'm the greatest! Okay...maybe I am getting a bit crazy out here, but oh well. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 8th day of September in 2006." Clawd passed the book to Lagoona.

"We went to school, and I figured out how much some people take for granted. Deuce and I were at our lockers. He has the one on top of mine, so I can bother him daily. Anyway, we saw this werewolf ghoul who was probably a year or two younger than us. Her hair is naturally the color of ripe chestnuts, but she dyes it constantly. The perks of having hair that grows faster than Hermes' sandals."

"Howleen!" Clawd exclaimed.

"She said..." Lagoona suddenly stopped.

"Lagoona, what'd she say?" Clawdeen asked.

"You won't like it, mate."

"Oh no. What is it?"

"'My family is SO ANNOYING! Clawdeen won't let me borrow anything of hers, even if she doesn't use it, Clawd and the other guys are so obsessed with sports, and I can never get any peace and quiet! Have Mom and Dad ever heard of abortion or birth control? I wish I was an only wolf!'"

"What?!" Clawd growled.

"She is so dead!" Clawdeen snarled.

"I have seen the Wolf family, and I would gladly trade places with her any day. That is a family that truly loves and cares for each other. That is luxury. Maybe she doesn't know it, but I am pretty jealous. Granted, I'm not one of those ghouls that gets jealous over the dumbest things like clothes and money, but when I see families like that, it makes me want to scream. I mean, why couldn't I have had a family like that?"

Clawdeen felt her heart sink after getting angry at her sibling. "That just made me feel really awful."

"Me too," Frankie agreed, thinking of how much her parents loved her and would do anything for her.

"Me three," Draculaura agreed.

"You're talking for us all," Abbey said.

"I love _my mom's_ side of the family. My aunts Stheno and Euryale. My cousins, Lamia, Seth, and Viperine. My half brothers by Mom and Poseidon- Chrysaor and Pegasus. I love _some_ people from Mark's side. I do love my stepsisters, Iris and Kira. I also love my half brothers and sisters by him- Jason, Ashton, Gabriel, Gwendolyn, Evangeline, Caleen, Roxie, and Lacie. I love Ianthe, the only triplet that was stillborn. I also love Deuce. I couldn't ever live without him. I'm not kidding. He's the only reason I'm still alive. Undead. Whatever. It doesn't matter. But I hate my father and our paternal aunts, uncles, and grandparents. They call Mom a 'demonic whore' and think Deuce and I are the scum of the earth."

"My Ra!"

"Monsters don't know how lucky they are to have a family that loves them. A family that isn't made up from different members of a broken home. A family where half hates us and half lives on the other side of the world. A mother who doesn't have to worry each day, hoping her children won't be murdered by her ex-husband. A father who won't beat them and hurt them for no reason except for his own amusement...What I wouldn't give... I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 14th day of September in 2006."

"I can't read anymore of these kinds of entries," Frankie admitted. "It makes me feel horrible." Lagoona passed the diary to Clawd.

"On the 14th day of September, a werewolf named Howleen said how much she didn't like her annoying family," Clawd read. "Well, today, we had another family argument right in front of me. It was between my least favorite person in the school and her younger sister at the end of the last period. Yep, the de Nile family. I am not going to outright say I _hate_ them, but they are not the first people I'd choose to hang out with. Actually, you know what? F*ck it. I hate them. Their father, Ramses de Nile, is a stuck-up, arrogant, moldy-a*s son of a b*tch that drowns himself in oily cologne to smother the smell of his rotting corpse."

"Holy crap," Operetta said with a laugh, putting her hand over her mouth. Clawdeen stifled a laugh too upon seeing the shocked look on Cleo's face.

"Language!" Frankie exclaimed

"Oh, he also acts like we are worth about as much as a pile of dog sh*t, which is ironic given the fact that the same phrase accurately describes his scent. After all, the last time he showered was back during Alexander the Great's empire. His daughter, Nefera...she's even worse. Never before have I met such an inbred, dog-faced, c*ck-juggling c*ntface whose tits are saggier than an old man's ballsack. Her heels are bigger than her ego, and her hair looks like a blue waffle-ridden tw*t. She's a bigger dildo than the ones Lamia uses to f*ck herself, and I've seen nicer starving alligators. I. Hate. Her. I wish she'd go back into whatever cursed sarcophagus she crawled out of. She treats us like our own father does- puts us through pain for her sick amusement. I have never met the wife of Ramses, but I don't want to."

"Oh my RA!" Cleo yelled, standing up angrily.

"The only one who doesn't hate us and we don't hate her in return is Cleo." With those words, Cleo's anger calmed drastically. Her raised eyebrows dropped, and she exhaled slowly. "The problem with her is the fact that she is forced to follow Nefera around, so Nefera can teach her 'how to be a true leader' or some bullsh*t like that. Cleo doesn't have too many friends- in parenthesis, because everyone hates Nefera, but they treat her like she's a goddess. But Cleo wants someone. I think that's why she's in chorus, since she can get away from Nefera and that royal lifestyle. She's also bullied by Manny Taur, but who isn't? So...we are kind of similar...sort of... Anyway. And Deuce likes her, which I make fun of him for. A lot. But he knows I'm teasing."

"So he liked you even then," Clawdeen said to Cleo, who reluctantly sat back down on the couch. Ghoulia's words washed over the mummy, and she felt herself reaching into her pocket for the notebook paper they found at the house.

"So Cleo and Nefera were arguing about something," Clawd continued, "but if you listen closely, you can tell it was about Deuce and me. Shocker. Cleo was trying to tell her to leave us alone- in parenthesis, the first and only person to ever be brave enough to do that- and was standing up for us. What does Nefera do? She tells Cleo that the only way she will be a 'good leader' is to make sure no one stands in her way. So to show her darling sister a physical example, she goes over to me and punches me straight in the stomach, which knocks me down. Now, that is a bit too familiar with me, so my anxiety is starting to skyrocket. She kicked my sides a bit then pushed me on the brick wall of the school. She spat on my face and cursed at me. At this point, it's too familiar, and I'm forcing away a panic attack."

"That's awful how she has to put 'too familiar,'" Jackson said. He shook his head angrily. "And to have a panic attack over typical mean girls? That's horrible."

"When she left, I calmed down, got up, and found Deuce in the music room, playing an acoustic guitar. When he noticed I was there, he immediately dropped everything to ask what happened and if I was alright. He didn't look too good himself either, but I already knew someone else got to him. He sat by me a little before telling me to wash up. When I went to the ghouls' restroom and looked in the mirror, I could see where he was getting it from. I was a mess, which was surprising considering that compared to Mark, Nefera is usually a walk in the park. I cleaned up, and we left the school to go to the music store, only to find Mark asking the cashier if he knew where we were, so we ran to the woods. This day just keeps getting better. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 20th day of September in 2006." Clawd passed the book to Jackson.

"Deuce and I went to the music store after school. We were incredibly young when we started working- in parenthesis, 'working' used loosely- there. If I had to guess, maybe about five years old? Now, I know what you're thinking. What about child labor laws? You can't work at such a young age! Well, you can if you're a monster, especially a hybrid like we are. It also helps when you're more mature. AKA, more quiet because we distrust everyone. Also, depression makes you act more mature, and anxiety scares you into acting out. Anyway. It started when we were looking around the store and stopped to help people, whether that was find something or inform them. When the manager saw us help the customers and realized that we knew more than most of the workers did, he offered us a job as long as we didn't say a word to the police. The best part is that it doesn't feel like work, and we can come when we can. If we cannot get off the basement floor for the life of us, we won't get phone calls asking why we missed work. Anyway, we stayed until 10:00 pm, then we went to the woods. It's nice and cool at night. I know, perfect for a cold-blooded monster. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 26th day of September in 2006."

"Five years old and already working," Clawd mumbled.

"Well, their daddy obviously isn't gonna pay for 'em," Operetta said.

"Yeah, don't remind me." Jackson passed the book to Draculaura, who flipped the page before reading. "There were wanted posters all over town for us. I got really nervous and Deuce and I wound up throwing most of them away. Hmm...does Mark really want us back?... NO! 'Course he doesn't! He said he never wanted to see us again. But Mark never follows through on anything except the abuse. Hmm... I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 30th day of September in 2006."

"Why does he want them back if he hates them?" Jackson asked.

"I mean," Cleo said, "Imagine if word got out. What if they told the police? He doesn't want to get busted, so he needs them to keep the secret. The only way for him to do that is to keep an eye on them. If he doesn't know where they are, he can't do that."

"Yeah, good point," Jackson nodded. Operetta was passed the book.

"Deuce and I made it a month on our own. So far, we're doing perfectly fine- better off than we were with Mark. We live in the woods a few miles from the school. I wonder how long this will last... I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 2nd day of October in 2006."

"A month on her own!" Frankie marveled.

"I couldn't last two days," Lagoona agreed. Operetta passed Jackson the diary.

"Sorry that I haven't written in you in months, but I figured I'd save room for when we need it- like now. Police are leaving no stone unturned trying to find us. Mark also has some of his buddies from the bar trying to find us with the reward of seven bottles of twenty-five-year-old scotch. If you are reading this, please help! Just don't turn us in! I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 7th day of December in 2006."

"Bartering kids for alcohol?!" Clawd snorted. "Is that even legal?!" Jackson passed the yeti the book.

"This just keeps getting better. Deuce and I are still on our own. The weather is getting harsher, and now it's snowing. We can't rely on each other for heat—yay, cold-blooded monsters!—and nightmares are quickly adding up. Hypothermia is nearing. Thank goodness for school, where they crank the heat. If not for that, we'd be corpses. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 23rd day of December in 2006."

"I hope she doesn't die from frostbite!" Frankie said, thinking about how Madison could have died.

"She doesn't. I mean, we still have quite a few entries left. It's okay," Clawdeen confirmed. Abbey handed Lagoona the book.

"I had a terrible nightmare. I usually don't write my nightmares in my diary because if anyone reads this, I don't want to put my pain on them. I figured I would do it once, just for others to see what it's like. This isn't my worst nightmare or the least scariest, so this is my average nightmare. I remember everything clear as crystal, so I'll write what happened. Here it is."

"Who else is nervous?" Draculaura asked. She was met by a few raises of hands.

"I wake and find nothing but a dirt road," Lagoona continued. "With no other choice, I walk the path. Along the way, I find old, twisted trees that have long lost their leaves. I see a ghostly figure walk across the dry land. I run up to catch it. The closer I get to the figure, I realize who it is. 'Violet!' I scream. The figure doesn't even look at me. 'Ianthe!' I catch up to her. As soon as I'm about a foot from her, she disappears. I turn around and look for her. I see her again to my left, but she's very far away from me.

"What?" Clawdeen asked, confused. "Is it because she's a ghost?"

"'Ianthe!' Once I come closer to her, she disappears once more. She reappears on my right side behind me."

"Why is she ignoring her?" Draculaura inquired.

"'Violet! Stop!' I reach her again, but this time, she's holding a knife. 'Why won't you just leave me alone?!' She sinks the knife deep into my chest. I feel myself falling in pure darkness. I am spiraling downward like Alice through the hole. However, I land anywhere but Wonderland."

"Oh my ghoul!" Frankie said.

"Jackson, you read," Lagoona said, pushing the book to Jackson. He accepted.

"I land in Deuce's and my bedroom. I lay on my side before I stand up. From behind, I hear Lamia say something, and I freeze. 'I can't believe you would do such a thing.' I turn and face my cousin. Her arms are crossed. 'What did I do?' I ask, confused. 'You should know. It's all your fault, a masculine voice replies.' Seth comes out from behind my back and stands near Llama. He has a scowl on his face, and the snakes on his head are hissy."

"Cannot picture Seth angry. Like happy yak smashing snowmen," Abbey commented.

"'You killed Deuce,' says Lamia. My hands fly to my mouth as I feel the blood drain from my face. 'But-But, I-I didn't-' I am interrupted by Lamia slapping me right across the face. A red hand print stains my cheek. 'You really are a...um...b-word, aren't you? You left him. And when his father was sober, your brother took too much abuse. He couldn't take it all. If you were there, he'd still be alive. If you were there...' Tears fall from Lamia's eyes. 'If you were there, we wouldn't hate you. But now, we'll never forgive you. Now get your filthy um...a-word out of here and live with your own shame.'"

"Whoa," Clawd mumbed.

"I am shocked," Jackson continued. "Had I really killed him? I am frozen in place. That leads to Lamia grabbing a club and smashing it against a mirror. It shatters into many pieces."

"Can I read?" Clawdeen asked.

"Go ahead," Jackson said handing Clawdeen the book.

"When the pieces reunite, the scene changes. I see Mark standing in front of me with a smirk on his face. 'Good on ya, kid. Never thought you would've done something like that. I'm proud of you.' My eyes widen. 'I didn't mean to!' Mark's eyes widen this time, and he scowls at me. 'But you still did. Even if it was an accident, it doesn't make it any better.' He grabs my arm and throws me on the floor. 'You're just like me, ya little...uh...c-word. And it's only a matter of time before you realize it.' I black out and wake up on a stage. A ghoul with red and black hair stands next to me. She's a stranger, but I know her somehow. 'Operetta!' I shout."

"What?" Operetta shouted. "But...I didn't even know her at this time!"

"She turns around and scowls. 'What do you want?' 'Please just tell me where I am.' 'Who would want to talk to you? You're worthless, just like everyone else who you think loves you.' The stage fades to a mirror. Around me are the bloodied bodies of everyone I love. There is also a boy and ghoul with olive skin and green eyes. The ghoul has platinum blonde snakes, but the boy has green."

"Are they...cousins?" Draculaura asked.

"At first, I didn't know who the children were. But soon, I realize those are my future children. I've always wanted to be a mother someday, but not anymore. The thought of me hurting my own kids terrifies me."

"That's horrible," Frankie said, wiping a tear from her right eye.

"I walk backwards into a wall. There is a black hole I accidentally step through. It leads me to a different scene. I'm now at a church, laying on the floor. A grand piano starts playing depressing music. I stand up and walk to the front of the church. I see a casket. In the wooden box, there is a body. It takes everything in me to look inside."

"Don't look inside!" Frankie cried.

"Deuce is lying in the box, looking pale and sickly. Both his green eyes, which are bruised and are now black eyes, are closed. His arms and both legs are broken, not to mention his ribs. His stomach is torn open, his entrails exposed as if he were attacked by a wild animal. His head is crushed and covered in blood, and he has no scales, like his scalp was skinned. There is copper embedded under his skin, and all his fingernails are gone- torn out. There are bite marks. Not even from an animal, but instead, of a human. Not a single part of his body doesn't have a wound on it, whether there is a welt, bruise, scratch, scar, cut, or it's just broken."

"Oh goth. I don't want to picture that," Jackson mumbled, trying to get the image of his best friend lying dead in a casket out of his mind.

"Tears form in my eyes and fog my vision. I want to claw at everything. I run out of the church, sobbing. I sit under a weeping willow and cry my eyes out. Then, I hear someone clear their throat. I look up and see Deuce staring at me, arms crossed."

"Wait, what?" Clawd asked.

"'It's rude to just walk out on me, especially like that.' I jump towards him and hug him tightly, but he quickly pushes away. "What makes you think I still love you?' The question shocks me. 'Do you honestly think anyone could truly love you now?' He smirks, which is usually charming, but now, it's full of pure hatred. I don't answer. 'I asked you a question, Madison.' All of a sudden, he pulls out a gun and aims it straight towards me. 'Answer my question.' I still stare blankly at him and look at the gun in fear. He shrugs. 'Suit yourself.' He smiles an evil smile, then presses the trigger. The bullet flies out of the gun, but time moves slowly. The bullet hits my thigh as I scream in pain and agony. He steps closer, then aims the handheld right at my face. His eyes turn cold. 'Goodbye, Maddie.' Then, he fires."

"Stop!" Draculaura cried. "Just stop reading!"

"The pain is unending. It explodes through my skull. I feel myself falling backwards. I land on the gray carpet of the church once more. The coffin is still there, and the funeral still holds the same people. I look in the coffin. This time, it's me."

"STOP!" Frankie cried.

"I'll read," Clawd offered, taking the book.

"No!" Lagoona yelled.

"I walk backwards, fear drawn on my eyes."

"Why don't you listen?!" The sea-monster cried.

"I walk into someone and turn around. It is a skeleton man with a black robe. The hood is up, and the man is holding a scythe. He raises it. 'Sweet dreams.' He slashes the scythe through my lithe body, killing me once more. Unfortunately, it's not the end. I see a mirror. I put my hand on it, and the limb goes through. The rest of my body goes tumbling into mirror with it. I regain my balance, but I'm now in an empty room with nothing but a desk. And on this desk is a single blade. Picking it up, I can't help but lay it against my skin. The cool metal feels nice against the warmth of my skin. Suddenly, I feel the blade sink into the flesh. I try to remove it and to get it away from my arm, but to no avail. I have no choice but to watch red trails of blood leak out. It is so alluring, but yet so terrifying. That's the beauty of pain."

"Makes no sense," Abbey said. "How is pain beautiful? In my village, pain is honor-not beauty."

"I've heard that beauty _is_ pain- shaving, makeup, hair, clothes, but not the beauty of pain," Clawdeen said.

"Well, this is Madison," Frankie said.

"The blood then turns black. It hardens and becomes solid, like stone. But it is more like tar. I try peeling it off my skin, but it won't budge. The trail of newly hardened black blood then starts expanding. It covers my arms, then moves to my legs. It makes its way down my torso and up my neck. It feels like cement, and I can't move. I can't breathe. It doesn't take long until my entire body is covered. The only thing left uncovered are my eyes. The solid blood then transforms into parasites. Ticks, tapeworms, wasps, and spiders all cover my body. I try to scream, but when I opened my mouth, a tongue-eating louse replaces my tongue. They are everywhere, and I can't get them off of me. It is impossible to escape."

"Please stop," Draculaura cried, shaking.

"Jackson, bro, you read," Clawd said, handing Jackson the book.

"When I was sleeping, I subconsciously grabbed Deuce's torso and squeezed his ribs. He woke up and screeched in pure pain, causing me to wake up. It took about five minutes for him to calm down from the pain put on his broken ribs and even longer for me to calm down from my nightmare. He comforted me and told me it wouldn't happen and that it's just in my mind. My dreams and nightmares always mean something, so I am about to have an anxiety attack. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 10th day of January in 2007."

"She said that was an average nightmare!" Clawd reminded the group.

"Poor Maddie!" Frankie cried as Abbey was handed the book.

"Mark finally found us. It was not a pretty sight. I remember being picked up and being thrown in the trunk of his car. When we got home, we were beat merciless. Deuce and I were near the mirror. If you look inside of our basement, one wall is a huge mirror—like a ballet studio without the railing. I'm guessing the old owners were dancers. Mark picked up a handheld gun, and for once, the alcohol saved us. He missed. He shot several times, missing us each time. The whole mirror was broken when he got tired of it. He wrapped his hand around Deuce's neck and choked him to the ground. Mark shot an inch away from Deuce's temple. He then picked up a shard of broken glass, cut me with it, dug a hole in my cheek until you could see my teeth, then stabbed me just left of my heart. He punched us and kicked us around a little bit, then left the basement, locking the door behind him. Deuce and I were left to lay on the concrete, battered, bloody, and broken. Two days later- in parenthesis, today, we got out. I am writing this while Deuce is lying on the bed crying. We'll go to the hospital later. I realized Mark was the cloaked figure in my nightmare and stabbing in the heart was a foreshadow of Mark stabbing my heart. I still don't know what Deuce's death means. I will write in you soon, if I don't die a slow and painful death first. The 29th day of January in 2007."

"Poor gil," Lagoona cried, and Abbey handed Operetta the book.

"There's been an accident," Operetta read.

"Oh Ra," Cleo said, "that's not a good way to start an entry."

"I don't know what to do," Operetta continued. "And although it absolutely kills me to say this, I can't tell Deuce; even though he's the most understanding person ever, he won't get it."

"What is she talking about?" Frankie asked.

"I'm scared someone's going to find out what happened, and I don't want anyone to think differently of me. I hope they know I had no choice, and I did what I had to do."

"Um, she's really scaring me," Draculaura laughed nervously.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm so, so sorry. The 30th day of January in 2007."

"And she didn't even close out the entry," Clawd mumbled.

"What did she do? What happened?" Lagoona asked.

"I dunno," Operetta said, looking back over the entry. "It doesn't say."

"Could this be correlated with the dream of Deuce's death in the last entry?" Ghoulia inquired.

"No idea," Clawdeen said.

"I wonder if Lamia, Viperine, and Seth know," Frankie pondered.

"Probably not," Cleo said. "If she refused to tell even Deuce..."

"Yeah, good point." Frankie sighed.

"Shame, too," Jackson said, accepting the diary from Operetta. "It sounds important."

"Maybe she killed someone!" Draculaura said.

"I hope not!" Frankie gasped.

"Well, we can't dismiss anything just yet," Ghoulia groaned. She turned to Jackson. "Go ahead and continue."

"We went to school and all eyes were on us," Jackson read. "Now, I really hate unwanted attention, so this was stellar. Heads down, we went to our lockers and then had everyone asking us what happened- not so they could help, just because they were curious. I swear, monsters are so nosy. It gave Nefera a chance to pick on us more and for us to go to the principal's office for 'causing a distraction.' It's not like we chose to! Deuce and I went to the janitor's closet for the rest of the period. When we went back, it was time for gym. Everyone stared at my chest- in parenthesis, near my heart- and all my bruises and ribs. I can't wait for Saturday: Music Festival! I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 1st day of February in 2007." Jackson handed Clawdeen the book, as she still wiped away tears from the nightmare.

"Thank gods for Friday!" Clawdeen read. "My cousins are here! Every February, Lamia, Seth, and Viperine spend a month at our house. Viperine told us they were late because they had to bail Lamia out of juvenile detention for arson. Typical Lamia. That ghoul is only fourteen and already went to juvenile detention twenty-three times! They would've missed Music Festival if they were a day later. The first thing Lamia said to us was, 'Hey... You got a hole in your face!' I wanted to smack her so badly, but I was so happy they were here that I didn't. She had me open my mouth, so she could stick her finger in the hole in my cheek and watch her finger come into my mouth on the other side. Umm...That ghoul is some kind of crazy! Deuce and I had to tell them what happened on the 29th day of January. We practiced for Music Festival and enjoyed our cousins' company. I feel horrible for feeling happy, especially after what happened. I feel like I don't deserve to be happy, and it's selfish of me to feel that way. But I have to play the act, pretend to be normal for my cousins and especially for Deuce. He can read me like an open book, and I'm scared he's going to find out what happened. So I just have to enjoy the company because it'll feel like tomorrow when they leave us alone with Mark again. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 2nd day of February in 2007."

"The last part," Frankie replied solemnly. "It'll feel like tomorrow when they'll leave again." Clawd was handed the diary.

"But there are more hints about what happened," Lagoona said.

"She is feeling guilt," Abbey said.

"Maybe we'll find out later," Clawdeen said.

"We went to Music Festival today," Clawd read. "There are lots of genres to choose and competitions for each one, but we like to go to the one where all genres are allowed. In the competitions, there is a theme- like a story or maybe a certain problem, like drug abuse or something- and the lyrics must reflect it. There are three judges: Wednesday, Jacob, and Missy. Deuce and I started Music Festival in 2001 when we were six. In the music store, the manager showed us a flyer for it and we competed ever since- not to mention, won each year. The genre was 'If I Died,' so I sang 'Missing'. Here are the lyrics."

"We've seen this, right?" Clawdeen interrupted.

"We can skip it," Frankie said.

Clawd nodded and skimmed the lyrics. When he found the end, he continued to read. "Anyway, we won again. This year, they are taking us to county. If we win, we go to state, then nationals, and maybe internationals! Hmm...So much to plan! What am I going to sing for the contest? Maybe I'll make Deuce sing with me next time! The judges are going to LOVE that! Especially Missy- she likes duets the best. County competitions are at Monster High on the 2nd day of March after school Friday. TGIF! I have to go. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 3rd day of February in 2007."

"She does make Deuce sing," Cleo said. "We saw it in the video."

"And they sound great too," Draculaura added as Clawd handed Frankie the book.

"This house is anything but safe. With all the drugs, alcohol, and roaches, I wasn't surprised to find leeches. However, I was surprised to find them on my arms and legs after my shower though. This wouldn't happen to anyone but my family. But I'm grumpy because we finally get running water again- in parenthesis, usually the water bill goes unpaid, and they shut the water off- and now, we've got leeches in it. Deuce and I spent the morning trying to see how many there were and how long they've been there. After school, we got most out and I put them in a jar. Hmm... Nefera has a pool, right? I'm just kidding! I wouldn't do that! She deserves it, but it wouldn't make me any better than Mark. What to do with leeches...? I bet Llama would love them, name all of them, then find a purpose for all of them. Leeches have 'health purposes', right? ...I may have a purpose for them... I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 12th day of February in 2007."

"She wanted to put them in my pool!" Cleo yelled.

"She was kidding, love," Lagoona said, putting a webbed hand on Cleo's shoulder. Frankie handed Draculaura the diary.

"We all know Nefera. She's a vain, power-hungry, five-thousand year-old pain-in-the-neck. No, that's understatement. A vain, power-hungry, stuck up, arrogant, snobby, five-thousand year-old c-word."

"Which one?" Abbey said with a laugh.

"Abbey!" Frankie said.

"What? It was joke."

"Um, the one that ends in t?" Draculaura answered.

Abbey laughed. "Good choice."

"She followed Deuce and me home- in parenthesis, stalker!- with her phone recording," the vampire continued, "only to hear and see Mark come outside, anything but sober, knock us down, kick us, punch us, and tell us to 'get our worthless a-word-s in the house'. Nothing good can come out of this. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 13th day of February in 2007."

"I reckon that's gotta be awful!" Operetta said.

"Wanna read?" Clawd asked. After a moment, Operetta nodded.

"It's kinda lengthy," Draculaura said, looking at the next entry. Operetta shrugged, and Draculaura handed her the book.

"Deuce and I are at the hospital. Mark beat us, took us to the bar- in parenthesis, let the people at the bar rape me, while Mark hurt Deuce even more- tied our arms and legs together so we couldn't leave, and tried to get home. Key word: TRIED. He was drunk and driving! Again! The car flipped, and we got into a major accident between two or three other cars. Glass was EVERYWHERE! Llama, Trouble, and Champagne came and tried to get us out from under the car. Champagne told us that she saw the car on the news and came as quick as they could. Mark got out first- in parenthesis, typical. I came out next, having Lamia pull me out. Deuce was last. He was buried in glass and broken pieces of the cars, not to mention was crammed in the back of the car. Viperine had to crawl in through the broken window and try to find him and get him out. He was coughing up blood, and I tried my best to tell him everything was going to be alright, which was hard since I was in a lot of pain and was having a hard time trying to believe it myself. I could feel blood all over my face and chest and limbs. It felt like fire; everything stung. I'd never wish that kind of pain on anyone. Mark broke his arm- in parenthesis, figures he's not that hurt. I broke my nose, right arm, right leg, femur, and shoulder. Deuce broke his left arm, right leg, rib- in parenthesis, again. He has 2 or 3 that aren't broken, the rest are, collarbone, and tailbone. We were taken by an ambulance to the hospital. Lamia brought my diary- in parenthesis, if you're reading this, thank you! I hope we can get out in time for Music Festival. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 15th day of February in 2007.

"Why was he driving under the influence of alcohol?!" Clawd huffed.

"Clawd," Jackson said, "he doesn't care." Operetta handed Abbey the book.

"The brilliant monster who left a huge stack of papers in our hospital room probably hates me now. I may or may not have made one thousand five hundred forty-seven paper flowers. You can't see the floor! Anyway, the sky was lavender, and the clouds were pastel pink after it stopped raining. The nurse came in and said we needed to 'interact socially with others' because we were 'out of touch.' I snapped back with some dumb comeback, but Deuce liked it and said it was time to write a song. When she left, Deuce and I began writing, which I insisted we call it 'Imaginary'. Here are the lyrics.

"They're going to be sad!" Draculaura yelled. "I know it!"

"I linger in the doorway of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name. Let me stay," Abbey read. "Where the wind will whisper to me. Where the raindrops, as they're falling, tell a story."

"They're not sad," Clawd said to Draculaura.

"In my field of paper flowers," Abbey continued, "and candy clouds of lullaby- in parenthesis, flowers- I lie inside myself for hours and watch my purple sky fly over me- in parenthesis, flowers. Don't say I'm out of touch with this rampant chaos- your reality. I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge. The nightmare I built my own world to escape. In my field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby- in parenthesis, flowers, I lie inside myself for hours and watch my purple sky fly over me- in parenthesis- flowers."

"It's still strong and moving, but it's more powerful the gloomier it is," Jackson said.

"Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming. Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights," Abbey said. "Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming. The goddess of imaginary light. In my field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby- in parenthesis, flowers, I lie inside myself for hours and watch my purple sky fly over me- in parenthesis, flowers."

"Wow," Frankie marveled.

"Pretty good if I do say so myself," Abbey read. "I have to go now. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 16th day of February in 2007."

"I loved that," Dracalaura said as Abbey handed Lagoona the book. "It wasn't anywhere as sad as I thought it'd be."

"We were let out of the hospital today!" Lagoona read, "Only two days before Music Festival! Lamia, Seth, and Viperine persuaded Aunt Stheno and Aunt Euryale to let them stay, which they agreed to! I am so happy! Can't wait! I am scared though, since Mark thinks today is our birthday, we might get put right back in the hospital before we can perform. Mom left the house to stay with her sisters a few days before we were born, which is why he thinks that. Anyway, I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 28th day of February in 2007."

"So he doesn't know their real birthday?" Frankie clarified.

"More importantly," Ghoulia said, "is the day he thinks their birthday is."

"Wait, what?" Clawd asked.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Draculaura asked.

"This entry was written on February 28th," Ghoulia continued, "which Madison just said is the day that Mark thinks is her and Deuce's birthday."

"Yeah, so?"

"If you remember, Lamia and Seth said that the abuse finally stopped when Mark got arrested, which was February 28th, 2009."

"Are you assuming there's a correlation?" Lagoona asked.

"All I'm saying is that it's a bit...peculiar," Ghoulia groaned. Lagoona passed the book to Cleo.

"Music Festival went fang-tastic! We went to Monster High and sang for three new judges. I think their names were Mrs. Bloodgood, or Headless Headmistress Bloodgood, Mr. Hackington, or Mr. Hack, and Mr. Rotter."

"Our teachers?" Frankie asked.

"Frankie, why do you think the tape was at our school?" Clawdeen asked. Frankie turned red from embarrassment.

"Deuce and I did a duet called 'Hero,'" Cleo continued. "The lyrics are-"

"Written very good," Draculaura said, remembering the video Lamia showed them.

"It's well, not good," Ghoulia corrected.

"Sorry! Written very _well_!"

"I'm just a step away," Cleo read. "I'm just a breath away. Losin' my faith today. Fallin' off the edge today. I am just a man. Not superhuman. I'm not superhuman. Someone save me from the hate. It's just another war. Just another family torn. Falling from my faith today. Just a step from the edge. Just another day in the world we live."

"Break it down," Jackson said. "The lyrics, I mean."

"'Someone save me from the hate,'" Draculaura quoted.

"Someone help me from my father's torture and hate towards me," Clawdeen offered.

"Is 'it's just another war. Just another family torn' talking about Deuce and Maddie's mom and dad divorcing?" Clawd asked.

"Probably," Frankie said.

"I need a hero to save me now," Cleo read. "I need a hero. Save me now. I need a hero to save my life. A hero'll save me just in time. I've gotta fight today to live another day. Speakin' my mind today. My voice will be heard today. I've gotta make a stand, but I am just a man. I'm not superhuman. My voice will be heard today! It's just another war. Just another family torn. My voice will be heard today! It's just another kill. The countdown begins to destroy ourselves. I need a hero to save me now. I need a hero. Save me now. I need a hero to save my life. A hero'll save me just in time. I need a hero to save my life. I need a hero just in time. Save me just in time. Save me just in time. Who's gonna fight for what's right? Who's gonna help us survive? We're in the fight of our lives and we're not ready to die. Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe? I've got a hero- I've got a hero livin' in me. I'm gonna fight for what's right. Today I'm speaking my mind. And if it kills me tonight, I will be ready to die. A hero's not afraid to give his life. A hero's gonna save me just in time. I need a hero to save me now. I need a hero. Save me now. I need a hero to save my life. A hero'll save me just in time. I need a hero. Who's gonna fight for what's right? Who's gonna help us survive? I need a hero. Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe? I need a hero. I need a hero. A hero's gonna save me just in time."

"In the video, Deuce has a great voice," Frankie said.

"Guess who's going to state!" Cleo read. "Both of us are really excited! It's on the 16th day of March. The only problem is the location. It's at a bar: the same bar Mark goes to. Can't wait... I am having mixed feelings about this... I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 2nd day of March in 2007."

"Oh no," Draculaura said. "That's not good." Cleo handed Frankie the diary.

"Lamia, Seth, and Viperine took us to the music store after school for our birthday. Maybe it was to get away from Mark. Maybe it was because we like music. Whatever it was, I'm not complaining. We also split up when we go to music stores though. Seth goes to the drums and keyboards. Lamia typically goes to flutes and violins, but she goes to bass guitars too. Viperine goes to guitar picks and straps with a notebook to find designs for her makeup, since she's not a nerd like the rest of us are. Deuce and I went to guitars, pedals, microphones, amplifiers, and pianos. We didn't leave until closing time, and we came into the house by the bedroom window on the second floor. Deuce, Lamia, and I all have experience coming in and out of windows- in parenthesis, for different reasons, but we had to help Seth and Viperine up. We talked a bit and didn't have to see Mark at all today. It was great! I will write in you soon, if I don't die laughing first. The 5th day of March in 2007."

"Oh, I like how she changed it at the end," Abbey commented. Frankie passed Clawdeen the book.

"Music Festival was not the best today," the wolf read. "I told you before that it was at the same bar Mark goes to. I had to sing about a phrase told to you. So we made Mark's 'quote' be the chorus. Here are the lyrics."

"I'd like to hear this 'quote' again," Clawd grumbled.

"Stoplight, lock the door. Don't look back. Undress in the dark and hide from you, all of you," Clawdeen read. "You'll never know the way your words have haunted me. I can't believe you'd ask these things of me. You don't know me. Now or never."

"Whoa," Frankie said.

"You belong to me, my snow white queen. There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over. Soon I know you'll see, you're just like me. Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you."

"Her father said that?!" Cleo yelled.

"That's awful!"

"It's really disturbing."

"I hate this family."

"That's because that's not a family."

"Wake up in a dream," Clawdeen continued. "Frozen fear. All your hands on me. I can't scream. I can't scream. I can't escape the twisted way you think of me. I feel you in my dreams and I don't sleep. I don't sleep. You belong to me, my snow white 's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over. Soon I know you'll see, you're just like 't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you. I can't save your life, though nothing I bleed for is more tormenting. I'm losing my mind and you just stand there and stare as my world divides! You belong to me, my snow white queen. There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it I know you'll see, you're just like me. Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you."

"Oh my ghoul!" Draculaura cried.

"He was there, and when I sang, I had a huge panic attack in the middle of it, so it was hard for me to concentrate, and I cracked under pressure just singing the chorus. In Music Festival, all the contestants sing, then you come on stage again to find out how you did. I sang, then when we went to the back, I had to have Llama, Trouble, Champagne, and Baby comfort me. Baby was on the edge too, but it was kind of kept in. You could see the anxiety radiating off of him though. We hid in the janitor's closet while Mark came to the back to find us. We won though. Everyone thought my panic attack was just an act. Nationals are in New York on the 30th day of March. We have a week or two off at school for Spring Break, so we can go! It's at Carnegie Hall! I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 16th day of March in 2007." Clawdeen gave Operetta the book.

"We went to a practice room to mess around and play different songs from various artists," Operetta read. "In the middle of our time there, Lamia said that she thought someone else was in the auditorium with us. I said they aren't bothering us, so I didn't care. I also think Ianthe took over my body in the middle of 'Whisper.' It felt like I was sleeping and woke up in a different part of the song. Deuce said it sounded like me, but it didn't sound like me, as in the voice sounded like mine, but it didn't act like mine. It kind of freaked me out. Anyway, Marisa and Mark came in and hurt us, and I hope the person Lamia said was there with us didn't see that. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 18th day of March in 2007."

"Did it ever say who that someone was?" Cleo asked, with an emotion in her voice that no one could pick out.

"No..." Operetta said, raising an eyebrow at the mummy.

"Why do you care, Cleo?" Clawdeen asked. "You usually don't care about these things."

"I, uh, just thought another person to interview!" Cleo said quickly. "We need as many people as possible." The group looked at each other curiously, wondering if they should believe her. Yet, they shook it off, and Operetta handed Draculaura the diary.

"We went got off the tour bus to New York for Music Festival, and when we finally stopped, Lamia started doing cartwheels. That turned into a competition. Deuce and Lamia were the best. I went upside down in my cartwheel when I fell backwards and landed on my back. Viperine landed on her head, and Seth did a parkour. It was obvious who won. We can't wait for Music Festival! I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 20th day of March in 2007," the vampire finished, handing Jackson the diary.

"We had to meet at Carnegie Hall at five pm for practice," he read. "We had a lot of time to spare, so we went sightseeing. We went to the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Broadway, and then went to Carnegie Hall for practice. I took lots of pictures, then added them to the scrapbook I brought. It feels better without school, Mark, and Marisa not on my back. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 24th day of March in 2007."

"We definitely need to look at the scrapbook," Frankie said to the group. Jackson handed Lagoona the book.

"Music Festival was today! Half the states couldn't perform because it said a duet with someone that has already sang with you in MF before. Thank gods, I made Deuce sing with me! Deuce and I sang 'Not Gonna Die.' Here are the lyrics."

" _Now_ we'll be sad," Draculaura said.

"Death surrounds. My heartbeat's slowing down. I won't take this world's abuse. I won't give up, I refuse! This is how it feels when you're bent and broken. This is how it feels when your dignity's stolen. When everything you love is leaving, you hold on to what you believe in. The last thing I heard was you whispering goodbye, and then I heard you flat line. No, not gonna die tonight! We're gonna stand and fight forever! Don't close your eyes. No, not gonna die tonight! We're gonna fight for us together! No, we're not gonna die tonight!"

"I'm having flashbacks..." Operetta mumbled.

"Break their hold 'cause I won't be controlled. They can't keep their chains on me when the truth has set me free. This is how it feels when you take your life back. This is how it feels when you finally fight back. When life pushes me I push harder. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger. The last thing I heard was you whispering goodbye, and then I heard you flat line. No, not gonna die tonight! We're gonna stand and fight forever! Don't close your eyes. No, not gonna die tonight! We're gonna fight for us together! No, we're not gonna die tonight!"

"Carnegie Hall..." Operetta continued. "The large stage. Maddie's angelic voice and Deuce's deep voice...I wish I could go back!"

"Don't you give up on me! You're everything I need! This is how it feels when you take your life back! This is how it feels when you fight back! No, not gonna die tonight! We're gonna stand and fight forever! Don't close your eyes. No, not gonna die tonight! We're gonna fight for us together! No, we're not gonna die tonight! No, we're not gonna die tonight! Not gonna die. Not gonna die. Not gonna die. Not gonna die. Not gonna die tonight!"

"It was awesome when they echoed each other in the song," Clawd said.

"Not only were we one of the top three states, but we are tied with New York for first!" Lagoona read. "Now, I hate to be mean or rude in any way, but New York wasn't that...good. She only got in because her father was a lead judge. The tiebreaker- in parenthesis, or finals- are on the 6th day of April. I can't wait! I will write in you soon, if I don't die of excitement first. The 30th day of March in 2007."

"She always has the same ending to her entries," Frankie said. "I wonder where it came from." Lagoona gave Clawd the book.

"We went back to Carnegie Hall today," he read, "and the judges aren't deciding who wins- the other states are. The states already were divided in half. One of the states we got was Louisiana. In that state, there was a ghoul from my nightmare a while ago. She was the phantom ghoul! Operetta! It kind of freaked me out a little, but after the states were divided, Operetta and I talked a little bit and became good friends. She said that her friend, Fynn, was supposed to sing and she was support, but she never sang with him in Music Festival before, so Louisiana couldn't compete, much like some of the other states. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 3rd day of April in 2007."

"Talk about deja vu!" Operetta grinned. Frankie was given the book.

"We competed in Music Festival Finals today and won! Deuce and I sang 'What I Believe' and got tons more applause than New York did! Here are the lyrics."

"Here they sounded amazing live!" Operetta said.

"The world around me is lost in misery," Frankie read. "The only good I've got in my life is you. No meaning, no other reason. When everything feels wrong, I feel right with you. So madly, desperate, deeply obsessed. Your love is better than mine to me. Can I have this moment forever? Take me to the beginning. You are what I believe. I'll live and die for you. This is all that I need. When nothing is real, you are my truth. In the darkness, you shine. Can you keep me safe tonight? When I'm down on my knees, you are what I believe."

"These lyrics are so sweet!" Draculaura smiled.

"When we started whole-hearted, I never needed anything or anyone else. I was broken – you made me whole again. The only one I trusted more than myself. So madly, desperate, deeply. I will live for you completely. Can I have this moment forever? Take me to the beginning. You are what I believe. I'll live and die for you. This is all that I need. When nothing is real, you are my truth. In the darkness, you shine. Can you keep me safe tonight? When I'm down on my knees, you are what I believe. Believe in your love, believe in your life. Believe that you can put me back together on the inside. Chase all the fear away every time I speak your name. Take me – you are what I believe. You are what I believe. I'll live and die for you. This is all that I need. When nothing is real, you are my truth. In the darkness, you shine. Can you keep me safe tonight? When I'm down on my knees, you are what I believe."

"Whoa...No offense, I don't love Howleen that much!" Clawdeen said. "Not like that."

"Well, we won," Frankie said. "International are in May, so we can leave for home. Deuce, and I are taking a plane back to Oregon, while Seth and Lamia are going to Greece. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 6th day of April in 2007." Frankie gave Clawdeen the book.

"Viperine left Oregon today," Clawdeen read. "She took a cab to California from Oregon, so she could go to her trailer for movie sets, since she is doing an internship to become a make-up artist. I have a feeling Mark was just waiting for her to leave. I will write in you soon, if I don't die first. The 12th day of April in 2007."

"If her dad was just waiting for Viperine to leave..." Jackson trailed off.

"Uh oh," Frankie said.

"One entry left," Clawdeen said. "The one Deuce wrote." Ghoulia groaned.

"Ghoulia's right," Draculaura agreed. "Cleo, you should read it."

"Alright," Cleo said, accepting the diary from Clawdeen.

"This is a weird feeling," Frankie said. Her bolts sparked. "I'm excited to hear what happens, and I'm sparking at the bolts to find out, but I know she dies, so it's sad. I don't know how to feel."

"I'm scared," Lagoona admitted.

"I am too," Abbey agreed. "Need to read though."

"Alright, this will be the last time anyone will write in here," Cleo began. "I know, I shouldn't be writing in someone else's diary, but if you are reading this, you shouldn't be left in the dark, wondering why she stopped writing. Madison died today. We were at the cemetery near Ianthe's grave when Dad came. He hurt us a bit and stabbed Madison in the heart with a knife before impaling her on a headstone. He told us we had five minutes. During that time, we talked a bit and she asked me to sing to her. She also told me she felt Ianthe's presence and that she was sitting next to me. I could've sworn I felt her wrap her arms around me and say, 'She'll be in good hands with me forever,' but no one was there. Madison died in my arms. Her last words were how she wasn't ready to die. Dad threw us in the trunk of his car, put her in an alley, and raped her corpse. He made me watch as he doused her in lighter fluid and set her on fire. Besides Caleen, I'm the only one left, and he's coming after me next. I wonder how long it'll be before I'm with Mockingbird and Violet forever. Deuce Gorgon. Tuesday, April 17th, 2007." Cleo stopped reading to look up at the group with wet eyes, only to see she wasn't alone. Everyone else was crying as well.

"Poor little girl, still waiting for her happy ending," Clawdeen cried.

"How?" Clawd yelled. He punched the door, leaving a large dent in it. "How could anyone do that?"

"That's got to be the worst way to die," Draculaura sniffled.

"That makes me feel dirty. Like I need to go take a shower," Abbey said.

"Deuce saw this happen," Jackson added. "He still has to carry this burden with him."

"And he knew that the father was coming after him," Lagoona included. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Frankie put her hand on Lagoona's shoulder. "Lagoo-"

"Rack off!" Lagoona yelled, shaking Frankie's hand off of her. "This bloke gave her a gobful! Who are we to come in and expose everything for her? For this whole family!" She viciously wiped her tears, but more and more kept flooding in. "What kind of cobbers are we?"

"Why hasn't he told us?" Frankie asked, wiping her multi-colored eyes. "He obviously needed to tell someone."

"Frankie," Clawdeen said cautiously, "it seems like a touchy subject."

"If I were him, I wouldn't want to bring it up either," Jackson said.

"We need to find out his side of the story," Frankie said. "It can lead us to better information of Madison and give us more information on what happened." The group looked at each other for a moment before Clawd sighed.

"We can try if you want," he said. He stood up and looked Frankie in the eye. "But don't be surprised if he doesn't say anything."

"Alright, then what are we waiting for?" Frankie said. "Let's go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we all know how she died. What do you think? Too gruesome? Oh, and watch for the foreshadowing. It's more important than you realize. Wink. Wink.
> 
> Lagoona uses some Australian slang in here, so as a quick guide...  
> Bloke: man  
> Cobber: friend  
> Give a gobful: to abuse  
> Rack off: Get lost! or Get out of here!
> 
> The title is from "I Have A Problem" by Beartooth.
> 
> Oh, and here is the list of songs used for this chapter:  
> "Missing" - Evanescence  
> "Imaginary" - Evanescence  
> "Hero" - Skillet  
> "Snow White Queen" - Evanescence  
> "Not Gonna Die" - Skillet  
> "What I Believe" - Skillet


	5. Waking Up is Knowing Who You Really Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After reading Madison's diary, the gang decides to talk to Deuce to get his side of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's time for Deuce's side of this whole pandemonium. Believe me, it's just as crazy as Madison's.
> 
> I do not own Monster High or any of the songs used in the making of this story.

"You want to do _what_?" Lamia's ice blue- almost clear- eyes widened. Seth returned the same glance to the group, one of shock and another emotion they couldn't quite detect. He shivered as the cold air slipped through the Gorgons' porch and brushed his bare arms, sending goosebumps up his skin. Despite the cold, the night was still lovely. The sky was a dark navy with diamonds littered all through it.

"I said we want to find out Deuce's side," Frankie repeated, looking as nonchalant as she felt. The siblings looked at each other before looking back to her. Suddenly, Seth laughed. As the group stared at him, he stopped.

"Oh," he said, "you were serious." He looked directly at Frankie, all seriousness appearing in his gray eyes. "You're safer pricking your finger and scuba diving in a shark tank."

"You're safer getting run over by a car," Lamia added, "which his dad did to him once, fun fact, so I hope you understand how serious this is."

"Where is Deuce?" Cleo asked, interrupting to try to ignore the nausea she felt at that comment.

"In the bathroom with Viperine," Lamia answered, biting her lip in thought. Cleo's eyes bugged out as Seth smacked his sister.

"Lamia!" Seth choked out. "Don't take it out of context. Viperine is molding his hand. Special effects makeup, you know?" Cleo nodded.

"Still!" Lamia said. She scratched the white snake behind her right ear. "I would _not_ suggest asking him."

"Besides," Seth said, "he wouldn't want to tell you."

"Yeah," Lamia agreed, "it'd be a waste of your time, our time, and his time."

"Can we at least try?" Frankie asked. The siblings looked at each other before Lamia sighed.

"I won't say I told you so," she said, opening the white door and allowing them entrance. The team hurried into the house and up the stairs to the room Lamia and Seth were in before the team showed up, the room they first met them. After a moment of silence, Lamia asked, "What do you plan on asking him?"

"Pretty much 'what's your side of the story?' We can think of the rest as we go," Frankie shrugged. Lamia and Seth looked at each other again.

"Playing it by ear might not be your best bet," Seth admitted. "You might want to think about-" They were interrupted by Viperine entering the room.

"Mold's done," Viperine said. "You might want to think about what?"

"Why they're here at half past ten," Lamia lied calmly.

Viperine shrugged. "Wouldn't be the strangest thing that's happened here so late at night."

"Actually, no, that's not why," Frankie said.

"Frankie," Seth pressed with gritted teeth.

"We'd like to find out Deuce's side of the story."

Viperine began laughing, then went serious and stopped. "I didn't realize you were being serious."

"That's what Seth said," Jackson mumbled. He felt bad about coming here, and the cousins were only worsening his guilt.

"C'mon, mate," Lagoona said. She looked between Seth, Viperine, and Lamia. "Can't be that bad."

"I think we've already proved we know him better than you," Seth rolled his eyes. "I mean, none of you knew anything about-"

"That's not their fault," Viperine said to Seth.

"Still," Seth sighed. "I'm just worried for him."

"Each of you," Frankie said, "just tell us something. Anything. Whether we ask him or not, this trip can't be a waste."

Viperine sighed. "Alright," she said, "ask us something."

"What was it like after Madison died?" Clawdeen said without blinking an eye.

"For who?" Viperine asked. "Who's reaction do you want? Deuce's or the family's?"

"Uh...Deuce's?" Draculaura answered.

The room was silent for several moments, the air thick with tension before Seth finally spoke. "It was rare Deuce would talk to us," he answered hesitantly, "and it was never more than a few words at a time. He never really wanted to talk to anyone anymore."

"He would stare blankly at the wall, as if he were dissociating or something," Viperine added.

"He ignored the world and everything in it- including himself." Lamia picked at her fingernails.

"He became restless too," Viperine said. "It isn't like he got much sleep before, but it became much worse. Each night, one of us had to be near him, so we could find out when he fell asleep and to make sure he didn't do anything stupid."

Abbey nodded. "We found your planner."

"Did you read it?" The albino gorgon asked. Abbey nodded again. "Then, you already know how bad it was."

"He was also unbelievably inconsolable," Seth said.

"Oh, definitely," Viperine agreed. "He'd go into the maniac and depressive fits."

"I thought he was bipolar," Lamia said with a shrug.

"What else happened after she died?" Jackson asked.

"Umm...oh, Mark abused him more," Viperine said. "It's like he made up for Madison not being there."

"We soon realized that when he wouldn't talk to us, it was because he'd been screaming and had no voice left," Seth said. "Or he'd been choked and couldn't get many words out. When he stared and was unfocused, it was because he'd passed out while his eyes were still open. He wasn't ignorant. He was just numb." Seth looked down. "He was always unconscious."

"Deuce died," Clawd said. It wasn't a question, just a statement. Seth nodded, still not looking up at them.

"What do you regret most leading up to his death?" Frankie asked. "And what even happened?"

The air became thick again, and Frankie knew she must've asked the wrong thing. Lamia suddenly tightened her jaw, clenching her teeth down together. She stood up and stormed out of the room without a word. The group got one last look at her eyes before she disappeared through the doorway. The crystals were red and watery, but mostly sad.

"What was that about?" Clawd asked. Seth and Viperine looked at each other before looking down at their laps again. The room was silent until Seth sighed.

"Things...happened leading up to his death," Seth whispered slowly. "Things that Lamia hates herself for."

"What did she do?" Lagoona asked.

Seth stared at the floor for a while, trying to find the words to say. "It was February in 2009," he began. "We came over to stay the entire month...just like we always did." He took a breath before looking up at the group. "It was only a few days into the month when he completely changed. At first, he was quiet and reserved, just as he had been when we'd last seen him in the summer. Then, he flipped. He talked more. A lot more. He was always really anxious."

"The biggest part was that he got really...clingy," Viperine added. "He didn't want to be left alone."

"Lamia started being a huge b*tch to him," Seth said. "She hated how he always needed someone with him. She hated having to feel like a 'babysitter' to him." He took a breath. "We thought things were getting better," Seth continued. "On his fifteenth birthday, he was supposed to go to court. He was going to choose what parent got custody. I mean, that obviously would've been Theía Medusa, so there was no doubt. But Mark was nervous. When he stopped hurting him, we thought it was because he didn't want to look like an abuser when he went to court. But the less he hit his son, the more panicky Deuce got.

"Lamia and I had to leave early. Dad was coming home for a week or two from service. Viperine left a day earlier than us- the twenty-fifth- for some makeup job. On the twenty-sixth, Lamia, Deuce, and I went to the airport. We were about to leave when Deuce broke. He begged us not to leave, and he was shaking. He looked petrified, to put it lightly. I felt horrible about leaving him, but Lamia was already fed up and screamed at him in the middle of the airport. She told him to 'man the f*ck up' and to 'stop being a depressed little sh*t' and all sorts of horrible sh*t. She told him to leave, and he said, 'If that's what you want, I'll go.' He left and never looked back. We got home, and we weren't asleep for two hours before Mom woke us up and told us to get in the car. We drove back to the airport and flew back to America.

"We got to the hospital where Viperine told us to follow her. She brought us to the basement, which was a huge red flag on its own. Theía Medusa stood outside a room marked with nothing but a number. Theía Stheno told us to wait outside, and she, Mom, and Theía Medusa went in the room. We asked what happened, but Viperine wouldn't tell us. She told us to see for ourselves. We went in the room when our moms left." Seth forced a tight, painful smile with closed lips. "It was the hospital's morgue. I didn't recognize him; it was horrible. I think we both saw the color drain from Lamia's voice as she screamed for him to wake up." Seth stopped and wiped his clammy palms on his jean-covered knees. "But he didn't. He didn't wake up." He stopped to wipe his teary eyes before continuing. "I don't know what went through her mind, but she grabbed a scalpel off a desk and sliced her right arm."

"Do you know anything about Gorgon blood?" Viperine asked. The team shook their heads. "Blood from the right arm can heal anyone or anything. A single drop from the left can kill in an instant."

"She let her blood pour into his wounds," Seth continued. "He awoke in the middle of the night a day or two later. His autopsy was scheduled for that morning...They said he wouldn't make it through the night."

Rustling and footprints were heard outside, and Seth and Viperine immediately stiffened. "Okay," Viperine interrupted, "they're going to come in soon and realize we're talking about them behind their backs. I don't feel like being hated right now." Almost immediately, Lamia entered the room. She looked perfectly fine, her red eyes gone and her face not blotchy in the slightest.

"He's coming," She said quickly, shutting the door. "So shut the f*ck up. If he asks, we were talking about shampoo." The door opened, and Deuce entered, drying his right arm with a hand towel. He stopped and looked at the group with a curious expression.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"What?" Lamia said mockingly. "I thought you liked having us here." She put her hand over her forehead dramatically. "I'm hurt."

"What? No. I meant them. Not that I mind, but do you even know what time it is?"

"No, and that doesn't matter," Frankie answered.

"We need to find out your side of the story!" Draculaura cheered. Deuce immediately dropped the towel and lowered his eyebrows.

"Quoted by Frankie, 'No, that doesn't matter.'"

"Thanks a lot, Frankie," Clawdeen mumbled.

"Why don't you want us to know?" Frankie whined.

"Can't trust group of ghouls to keep secret?" Abbey smirked, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. However, there was truth to it. The one thing the yeti never understood was how girls like Draculaura and Frankie could waste their breath on gossip.

"We've known you forever," Clawd said. "You can trust us."

"Yeah," Jackson agreed.

"Plus, we already know a lot about your sister, Madison," Lagoona said. "Your side can't be too much different."

"I know you've known me for a while, and you think my story is just like Maddie's, but it's really a lot different," Deuce sighed. "I've seen things she'll never see and she's done things I'll never do. And Dad was arrested a few days before I turned fifteen. I've had almost two years of experience that was much worse than she'll ever face."

"Please, can't we ask you just a few questions?" Frankie asked.

"Fine," Deuce said. He sat down on the sofa. "I'll answer some of the questions." Seth raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes in shock.

"You ran away a lot as a kid," Frankie started. Deuce nodded, curious as to where it was going. "When was the first time you ran away?"

"I think I was five. Maddie had gotten raped again, and at that point, we were so sick of it that I asked if she wanted to leave for a little while. To make a long story short, we escaped through the bedroom window and were on our own. We were caught after a week."

"Why didn't you ever get help instead of running away?" Draculaura asked, though not viciously.

"It's not like I never tried," Deuce answered. "People didn't want to 'get into our business' or some bullsh*t like that. Plus, there are people who blame the victims...Not to mention, everyone favors normies more than monsters. It was clear from a young age who would win the battle."

"Were there reasons why your father would...you know...hurt you?" Frankie asked cautiously.

"I would say it was the alcohol, but that's not entirely accurate. Mom told me a while back that Dad actually was close with his family, at least more than he is now. He had an older brother; his name was Michael. It's funny because he's Greek and all, but his mom- my yiayia- loves names that start with an 'm,' but her family had this tradition where all the kids would have American names, so they just went with it. Anyway, Michael and my dad were super tight, and Michael died a few months after my dad married Mom. He was one of the only people on Dad's side that was fine with my dad marrying a 'demonic whore.' So when he died, Dad was obviously really upset. He turned to alcohol and wasn't the same. He cut off all contact with family; they actually never knew he remarried after divorcing Mom. Hell, I don't think they even knew about the divorce. I know it doesn't, like, fix what he did or even make it right or whatever, but...' Deuce trailed off for a moment. "I don't know. I know it hurts to lose a sibling, especially one you'd give everything for. And he was just trying to find a way to not feel that pain." They were silent for a moment before Frankie cleared her throat.

"When Madison sings 'Lose Control,'" Frankie began, trying to switch to a lighter subject, "she says, 'With all the pretty "flowers" in the dust.' Is she talking about the drugs that look like flowers around your dad's house?"

Deuce knitted his eyebrows. "How did you know...?" He quickly whipped his head to the side to glare at his cousins, "You took 'em there, didn't you?" He spoke with such a poison and danger in his voice that even Lamia backed up. His snakes hissed in anger. Seth stood up.

"Deuce-"

"I can't even trust you now!" He shouted. He stood up, sinking his nails into his palms.

"Why does it bother you so much anyway?!" Lamia yelled back. "It's just a f*cking house!"

"You know full and well why I can't stand that f*cking house?!" He hissed, "They died there. They all died there. Why would I want to remember a place where I wanted to die more and more with every passing day because all I could see were their bodies and _I couldn't take it_. And the last thing I wanted was for _them_ to go there," he said, pointing at the group. He flung his hands up in the air, the blood from digging into palms dripping to the carpet. "Y'know what? Forget it! F*ck it. F*ck it! I don't care anymore!" He stormed out of the room, with his cousins at his heels. The group followed behind cautiously.

"Get your a*s over here!" Lamia shouted across the hallway.

"Why? Why should I?" Deuce jeered. "So you can remind me of every time he ever-"

"It's not what you think," Seth said, rushing down the hall.

"Of course it is, and how is it not?! You went behind my back and showed them the exact thing I wanted to hide most."

"You're being an a*shole about it!" Lamia raged. "It's a f*cking house!"

"A house that I don't even want to ever think about again!" Deuce snapped. "How am I being an a*shole when you are the douchebags who invade my past and torture me with it?! If I wanted to go there, I would've."

"Calm down," Seth said desperately. "We can fix-"

"Don't tell me you can fix it when it's your fault it's f*cking broken in the first place!" Deuce snarled.

"It's not like they think of you any differently than they did before," Viperine said, looking towards the group. "Isn't that right?"

"Yeah."

"Of course."

"Why would we?"

"You aren't any different."

"Yeah, you're still the same to me."

"That's not the point," Deuce said. "You could've told me first. Instead of leaving me to find out on my own, you could've said, 'We're going to your old house, okay?' But you didn't. No one mentioned about going to that house. Because oh no, why ask the _one_ person that should actually have a say in this. I thought I could trust you." He slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Godd*mmit!" Lamia screamed, trying to yank the door open. She gave up and punched the door, leaving a dent. "I don't need your permission to go to a house you don't even live in anymore!" She ran her fingers through her white snakes, which were hissing madly. "Gods! He so f*cking stubborn, just like his parents." She turned to look at Seth. "You knocked a door down once with your shoulder. Can't you do it again?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because back then, I didn't want to lose him like I lost...h-how Jen..."

"You can do it again if you try hard enough."

"Just leave him alone," Seth said. His shoulders slumped as he sighed. "There's no point."

"We need to talk to him," Frankie said.

"She's right," Viperine agreed.

"It's not going to work!" Lamia spat.

"He's not going to say a word to you," Seth said. "I only know two people that can calm him down. One's dead, and the other's not at home right now."

"We all know it could take anywhere from hours to months to calm him down," Viperine sighed.

"Hours to months...?" Draculaura muttered. "Minutes?" Seth shook his head.

"Can I try?" Cleo said out of the blue.

"Sure," Lamia shrugged. "Might as well try. If he doesn't talk to you, don't take it personally."

"Usually he's silent though," Seth said. "Don't get your hopes up too much. He's more tight-lipped about his problems than you'd think." Cleo walked to Deuce's bedroom door and knocked on it.

"Can I come in?"

No answer.

"That doesn't mean anything," Seth whispered. Lamia reached into Clawdeen's hair and pulled out a bobby pin. She twisted it and stuck it into the keyhole, jingling it in the lock. After hearing a small click, she opened it and let Cleo walk through. Lamia shut the door after the mummy had entered.

"Deuce?" Cleo looked around his bedroom but couldn't find him. She noticed the window was open, so she looked out the window before climbing up on the roof, where she found Deuce with his back towards her and his legs hanging off the roof. "Deuce?!" He turned around to see her run towards him. She grabbed his hands. "Oh my Ra! You aren't thinking about jumping, are you?"

Deuce shook his head and looked back to the night sky. "No," he said. Cleo waited for him to say more, but no words came. She joined her boyfriend and sat beside him, letting her legs hang off the side.

"What are you thinking about?" Cleo asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't really know."

She waited another moment before sighing. "Can we go back to your room?"

"Not now. I don't want to face them yet," Deuce admitted. He lifted his legs and brought them up near his chest so that he could put his elbows on his knees. Cleo stood up and went behind him. She stood directly behind him, her knees pressed to his back. She put her hands on Deuce's shoulder blades, leaned down, and let her hair fall down in front of his face. Cleo kissed the tip of his nose.

"They aren't there right now," she said. "You still don't have to face them." Deuce nodded, standing up and taking Cleo back to his bedroom. They sat on his bed, his head in her lap as she ran her fingers through his snakes. "Are you okay?" She asked after a few minutes.

"No, not really," Deuce mumbled. "But I can manage." Suddenly, his phone went off, and Deuce picked up his phone to read the text.

"Who is it?" Cleo asked as Deuce sat up.

"Mom." He read and answered the text before lying back down on the bed.

"I'm sorry," Cleo said, which was odd for her, given that she never apologizes. "We shouldn't have went to your old house."

"Why are you sorry?" Deuce asked. "I'm the a*shole who's overreacting about my friends going to a house. Lamia's right. I don't even live there anymore, so why should it bother me?"

"I mean, it's your privacy. And I've never seen you like this before, so it obviously means a lot to you."

"And you shouldn't have to see me like this." He sat up and faced Cleo, putting her hands in his. "Cleo, remember on Halloween? We went to that party in the catacombs with normies?" Cleo nodded.

"Yeah?"

"And I told you that family was complicated?"

"Of course."

"This is what I'm talking about. Mom and I don't always see eye to eye, Dad's in prison, he used to beat me, half my family is on the other side of the world so we aren't as close as I'd like to be, I barely know anyone from my dad's side, my parents hate each other, and all of my brothers and sisters are dead, except one, and I rarely get to see her. I just..." He took a breath before putting his face in his hands. "I just wanna feel okay again," he whispered, his voice breathy with emotion.

"Oh Ra, Deuce. Please don't cry," Cleo said, pulling his hands from his face and pulling him to her. He put his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her lily shampoo. "It kills me to see someone as beautiful as you so sad. You don't deserve to be."

"It's the school. They're the ones that make us do projects about the dumbest things."

"It's giving me more information about your past. Were you ever going to tell me?" Cleo looked at him with big, sad eyes.

"I was, but as soon as I knew you'd never leave me," he sighed.

"You thought I'd leave?"

"Not many monsters would stay once they hear that my father is a textbook psychopath." He pulled away to look at her. "Cleo, once Dad is released from prison, he's going after me and people that mean a lot to me. I don't want him to hurt you."

"How do you know that he'll hurt the people you love?"

"It'll be the first thing on his mind. Well, after me, anyway. Y'know, he always told me that on my fifteenth birthday, he would kill me. He didn't wait though. He thinks my birthday is February twenty-eighth. If he did it then, he'd do it again." The couple sat in silence before Cleo interrupted.

"I have something to confess," she said, her voice quieting dramatically.

"Yeah?"

"On that night- February twenty-eighth, I was out walking around. My dad and sister were trying to 'properly educate' me about being a leader, and I needed to get out of the house. I was passing your old home when I heard screaming and through the window, I saw you. Well, you went by Deuce Jayne back then. But I watched your dad...I watched him hit and scream at you. And when I couldn't take it any longer, I called the police."

"That was you?!" Deuce asked.

"Yeah?"

Deuce suddenly pulled Cleo into him, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"You have no idea how much that means to me," he whispered into her shoulder. "Thank you so much, Cleo. I can never repay you for that."

"You can't mean that."

"I don't know what would've happened if the police didn't come," Deuce said. "Dad could've done a lot more damage if no one called. No doubt, you saved the little life I had left." Cleo laid her head on Deuce's chest before continuing her story.

"I felt bad about leaving you alone with him, so I broke into the house, using the rope hanging from your bedroom window. I went down the stairs and hid behind the couch. I heard yelling and screaming and you telling him to stop, and I wanted to scream myself. Instead, I kept quiet, or tried to anyway." She stopped for a moment. "I saw it. I saw _everything_." Deuce dropped his head but didn't say anything. Cleo laced her fingers through his snakes and scratched the middle one, the one she knew was sensitive. "I don't know how you're okay."

"I don't necessarily think about it every other minute. It's just the flashbacks and nightmares. I mean, all that's left are scars. It could be worse. I mean, Gwen's missing her finger." Cleo paled as Deuce laid his head on his pillow in silence. They stayed like that for a moment before Cleo leaned forward to sit up.

"By the way...we're taking you to the cemetery tomorrow." Deuce shot up out of the bed.

"Wait, what?! Why?!"

Cleo waited a moment before saying, "I promised I wouldn't give any more information than that."

"Great," Deuce said, swinging his arms in the air in frustration. "They just want to see me break down in front of everyone." Still sitting down, he leaned forward.

"No, I promise that's not the real reason why," Cleo said, rubbing his back.

"The house and now this."

"You were keeping your secret from me too!" Cleo retaliated.

"Out of fear!" Deuce turned around to look at her. "Fear that Mark could hurt you! You're doing it for a totally different reason!"

"I'm doing it because I..." She stopped talking trying to find the words to say.

"What? 'Cause you what?" Deuce pressed mockingly. Cleo kept silent, not knowing what to say or how to react. She couldn't see the fury in Deuce's eyes, but she heard it in his voice. "Y'know what?! Forget it! I don't f*cking care anymore." He stood up, lifting himself off the bed. However, he kept his eye contact. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of these secrets. I know, I shouldn't have hid my past from you in the first place. I get it. It was wrong. But it doesn't make anyone else right. Everyone thinks I'm such a happy person and I have it all together. What they don't know is I'm dying on the inside. I don't have it together. I'm falling apart. And no one really cares because they're all too busy with their perfect, f*cking lives to open their eyes for once."

Cleo pressed her lips together. She knew that when he got mad like this, he ranted, and at this point, all of the emotions that were bottled up for years were flooding out. She didn't want to interrupt and make things worse.

Deuce ran his fingers through his snakes. They were hissing more than usual, irritated at the change in emotion. "I'm done. I just want everyone to stop hiding things. Just...just leave me alone."

With that, he went into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Cleo heard the door lock and the sound of his palms pressing against the countertop. She looked at the closed door for a few moments before putting her face in her hands.

Someone knocked on Deuce's bedroom door, and Cleo could hear the hinges squeak quietly as the door was pushed open.

"Is everything alright?" Seth asked softly. He knelt down next to Cleo and put his hand on her knee. "What happened?" He asked gently.

Cleo wiped her eyes before answering. "He locked himself in the bathroom."

Seth nodded and stood up. "I'll talk to him." He headed towards Deuce's dresser and opened up one of the drawers- one that was filled with socks. Rummaging through the bottom, he took out a key and shut the drawer again. With that, he left Cleo alone in the bedroom.

Walking back out into the hall, Seth slipped the key into the locked door beside Deuce's. He twisted it and entered, pocketing the key as he walked into the dark room. He didn't bother flicking the lights on, and instead, he chose to shut the door behind him, making the room pitch back around them. He knew this room by memory, and he didn't need light to guide himself around it. He settled down on the side of the bed next to a figure laying in the middle of the mattress. "Are you okay?" Seth asked.

"Go away," Deuce said, not bothering to even look at his cousin. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"I know you don't mean that. Y'might not want to, but you sure as hell need to." Seth sat down beside Deuce. "So what happened?"

"You know what happened!" Deuce hissed. "Don't even try to pretend you don't!"

"Hey, relax. I meant with Cleo." Deuce didn't answer. He looked up at the ceiling. "You need to talk about it, and I need to know. What happened?" He rubbed Deuce's back, and Deuce tensed up immediately but relaxed soon after. Suddenly, he sighed.

"Remember on February twenty-eighth, when...that happened?" Seth nodded. "We talked about that."

"I know you don't like bringing it up. Is that why you're upset?"

"No," Deuce said, turning to look at Seth. "Why are you taking them to see Madison and everyone else's graves? And don't you dare lie to me."

"I don't want to spoil the surprise, now, do I?" Seth smirked.

Deuce couldn't see Seth very well in the dark, but he still turned over to face him. "Positive or negative?"

"Positive."

"How can I trust you?"

"Lamia is thinking about kidnapping you tomorrow. If you get out of the house early, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"I need more than that."

Seth sighed, knowing it meant Lamia would snap at him for telling. "Your zombie friend, Ghoulia, knows how to create a serum that will make a portal that can transport you to the dead," Seth said. "We're seeing Madison and Ianthe and all of them. We didn't tell you before 'cause we wanted it to be a surprise. I'm not lying. Please trust me."

Deuce nodded. "I trust you."

They sat in silence for a moment before Seth asked, "Did you want to come?"

"Like hell if he's not," a voice from behind them said. It was clear and belonged to a female. Seth whipped his head around to look behind him. But no one was there. He looked towards Deuce for an answer, but his cousin seemed completely unfazed by the voice. Instead, he answered Seth's question himself.

"I'd be stupid if I said no."

"I don't want you to break down in front of everyone. That wasn't the objective here."

"I thought it was. I mean, with the house-"

"I didn't want you to think that."

"I know. I just-" Deuce wiped his eyes. "I just miss her. I miss them all so, so much."

"I know you do. It's okay. You'll see them all soon."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Deuce sat up. "I need to go apologize to Cleo," Deuce said as he standing up off the bed.

"Alright. I'm going back to the other room," Seth said. "Do you want me to lock the door from the hallway again on the way out?"

Deuce nodded before going back through the bathroom to enter his bedroom. He saw Cleo on his bed crying, and his heart dropped. He crawled up behind her and hugged her from behind. She turned around and buried her face in his chest.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out before. I'm just..." He trailed off, not knowing what word to use.

"Scared?" Cleo finished.

"Yeah."

"I am too." Cleo settled into his arms. "I'm...also sorry. I know we shouldn't have kept the secret from you in the first place."

"Speaking of secrets, Seth told me what's going on tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm scared and excited at the same time."

"Figured you would be. You get to see all your half brothers and sisters again, and even meet Ianthe for the first time."

"About that." Deuce scratched the back of his head. "I died on the way to the hospital that night. Maddie took me to a place where my siblings were. It was awesome 'cause I hadn't seen some of them since we were young, like Lacie, who was two. I met Ianthe, and after about a day or two of being with them, weird things started happening. My skin started getting paler. I would go through certain things like a ghost might, and soon my hands and feet start disappearing. I totally freaked, and none of my siblings knew what was going on. On the third day, I disappeared. I woke up in a tight, metal box in pitch black. I felt peace for maybe a second before all the pain just came flooding in. I starting screaming because holy sh*t- everything was on fire. The doctors all freaked out as to why I was alive and pulled me out of the metal box- which I learned was the morgue. They sedated me because I was still screaming and thrashing around. I woke up again, but instead, everyone was surrounding me. Mom, Aunt Stheno, Aunt Euryale, Lamia, Seth, and Viperine were crowded around me."

"Did you ever find out why you were disappearing?" Cleo asked. She knew that after years of bottling everything up, he had a lot to talk about. She was more than content with letting him do the talking for once.

"Yeah, I did actually. Do you know about a Gorgon's arms?"

"The blood in the left arm is poisonous and can kill anyone or anything. The blood in the right arm can heal anyone or anything and can bring them back to life," Cleo said, thinking about what Seth and Viperine said earlier.

"Seth told me that the only time he's ever seen Lamia cry was when I was on that hospital bed. He said she climbed on the bed, grabbed a scalpel, cut a slit in her right arm, and dripped blood into my wounds."

"I never would've guessed it was her."

"I know. Me neither."

"Either way, I bet you're happy." Cleo tilted her head to the right, exposing her neck. Deuce kissed Cleo's neck, and she moaned in response. She pushed Deuce onto the bed and climbed on top of him. She sat on his hips and put her legs on either side of him. Cleo leaned forward and kissed him passionately. She moaned once more, letting Deuce slide his forked tongue into her mouth. His tongue traced hers until they remembered to breathe. They broke apart. Cleo grabbed Deuce's shirt and pulled it up over his head, exposing his abs. She traced his muscles, then got off of him and opened one of his drawers. She pulled out a black shirt with a band name that she'd never heard of printed on it. "Can I wear this?"

"Sure," Deuce answered, raising an eyebrow. Cleo began undressing, and Deuce quickly sat up. "Whoa! Don't you want me to leave or something?!"

"No," she said. She leaned forward. "However, I'd like it if you watched," she responded seductively with a wink. Cleo pulled her blue top off, and her bandaged bodysuit followed. She took off her gold heels. She was left in a matching turquoise bra and panties with sparkling, white rhinestones adorning the top of each bra cup. There was a bandage design on her lingerie.

"D*mn..." Deuce muttered to himself. He wanted to kiss her again, but he knew when she wanted to be touched and when to keep his hands off her.

She smirked as she slipped Deuce's shirt over her head. Once it was on, Cleo reached underneath the shirt and unclipped her bra. She took it off from under the shirt. She put her bra in one of Deuce's drawers. "It's yours now."

"I can't keep your-"

"Yes, you can. I'll borrow Viperine's or Lamia's tomorrow. Probably Lamia's."

"Is that a thing ghouls do?"

"It won't be the first time I've done it," Cleo said with a shrug as she headed towards the bathroom attached to Deuce's room. She flicked on the lights to reveal the Jack and Jill, T-shaped design of the bathroom. The door on the left led to Deuce's bedroom. The door on the right was always closed; Cleo had always assumed it was a closet for towels and rags. The door on the bottom of the T-shape, on the opposite side of the large mirror and marble counters, led to the shower and toilet area. The double sinks were both silver and matched the gray paint on the walls. The mummy didn't give any of it a second thought though; it wasn't the first time she had been in this part of the house.

"Wait, what?" Deuce asked from inside the bedroom.

"We went to the lake last summer while you were in Greece last year," Cleo responded. She took off her topaz triangle-shaped earrings as she continued. "None of us had bathing suits, so we swam in our undergarments." She took off her rings and put them in an empty soap dish next to the sink on the right, the one she knew was never used. "Afterwards, we went to the Wolfs' house, and because my bra was soaked, I borrowed one of Clawdeen's."

"And it fit?"

"More or less." Cleo turned on the handle on the left sink, letting warm water rush out. She opened one of the drawers, the one that Deuce let her kept all of her hygiene products for whenever she was over. She pulled out makeup remover and a cotton ball. "I mean, it wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing." She saturated the cotton ball and began to take off her eye shadow. "And you know how many brothers she has? Like, a dozen. I don't need them seeing me without a bra on."

She didn't have to turn her head to know Deuce was grinning. After she took off her makeup, she quickly washed her face, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. She returned to the bedroom where she saw her boyfriend waiting for her on the bed. She laid down next to him, cuddling up beside him. The snakes on his head quickly curled up close to her, trying to bathe in her natural warmth.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Deuce whispered before pressing his lips to her temple. "As much as I know you love makeup, you look gorgeous without it too." Cleo smiled. They crawled under the covers, and Cleo put her head on Deuce's chest. He put his hand on her back and softly caressed her. She made a noise of pleasure and happiness, which made him smile. Suddenly, Cleo bolted upright.

"I won't be able to sleep in the dark. No way, no how." She looked towards the window. She could see the moon peeking through, but she knew it wouldn't provide enough light for her to feel safe.

"There's a nightlight in the hall."

"So can we leave the door open?"

"I'd rather not," Deuce shook his head. "It's become a habit of shutting and locking the door before I go to sleep. I'll bring it in my room." Cleo nodded, and Deuce went to the hall and grabbed it. He went back to his room, plugged it into the closest outlet, closed the door, and shut off the light. "Is this good?"

"Perfect," Cleo smiled.

Deuce laid down next to her, and Cleo put her head on his chest once more. "Is your dad going to kill me?"

"No, I already told him I was spending the night at Frankie's."

"Good." Deuce nuzzled Cleo's hair, breathing in her scent of lilies, amber, and vanilla. He kissed her forehead, then nose, then cheek, then lips.

"Goodnight, babe."

"Mmm...goodnight."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Don't wake them!" Seth whispered.

"Why the f*ck not?" Lamia whispered back loudly.

"No idea when they actually went to sleep," Viperine whispered.

"Fine," Lamia whispered. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of Deuce and Cleo sleeping. As Seth raised an eyebrow, she shrugged. "Blackmail," she whispered. She put the phone away and pulled an air horn out of her bra. She pressed down on it, making it screech loudly. Seth rolled his eyes. Deuce quickly squeezed his eyes shut before opened them. Cleo flipped over onto her back.

"Why?!" Deuce asked.

"Good morning to you too." Deuce sat up, followed by Cleo. "We're still in our pajamas too. It's okay."

"How'd you-" Deuce began.

"Someone- _Lamia_ \- unlocked it," Seth answered. Suddenly, someone banged on the window.

"Speaking of unlocking," Viperine asked, heading over to the window, "did we lock anyone out last night?"

"No?" Seth answered, but it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"What I'm wondering is how they got up here," Deuce said. "My room is on the third floor." Another bang was heard as something hit the window again. Viperine pulled the window open, and immediately, a figure fell onto the gorgon.

"Oh my Gaia! I'm sorry!" She stood to her feet before helping Viperine up. The girl had long, wavy, caramel brown hair that was pulled into two pigtails that ended mid-torso. Her bangs were parted to the left side. She had a blue delphinium tucked behind her right ear, its petals looking healthy and bright. She was wearing a green, v-neck dress that ended mid-thigh. Leaves were layered at the bottom to give it a ruffled pattern. She had green, knee-length boots that had grass growing at the top. She wore dangly, green, leaf earrings, a blue butterfly with green wings on a necklace, and two leaves covering around her arm between her wrist and elbow on both arms. She had sun-kissed skin, bright green eyes, and crimson lips.

"I was wondering who could climb up three stories," Deuce grinned. "Obviously, it's you."

"You know her?" Draculaura asked.

"Course," Deuce said climbing out of his bed. The girl hugged him tightly before poking his six pack.

"You've still got that weird scar," she whispered to him, scraping a contorted scar hidden in his abs with her fingernail.

"That's the beauty of scars," Deuce said. "They don't go away."

"You've made quite an appearance," Cleo said borderline angrily, seeing the stranger holding her boyfriend, touching his muscles, and whispering to him. At Cleo's words, the girl let go of Deuce and smiled.

"Who are you?" Frankie asked.

"I'm Caleen. Caleen Lily," the girl smiled.

"You're Caleen?" Draculaura repeated in awe.

"Sure am."

"You're like, a legend!" the vampire awed.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Caleen laughed.

"If you're a monster, how come we haven't seen you at Monster High?" Frankie asked. "Do you go to another monster school?"

Caleen giggled. "Well, for one, do I look like a monster to you?"

"Do I look like a monster?" Jackson retorted.

"No, I guess not," Caleen said with a smile, "but I also got in trouble at a school for monsters when I was young."

"By the way, when Caleen says that, she shouldn't have gotten in trouble for it," Viperine said.

"What did you do?" Frankie asked.

"I may or may not have told the teachers about dear ole daddy. He wasn't too happy, so instead of explaining himself, he pulled me out of school entirely. Wasn't allowed back at a school for monsters since. I learn at the Grand Oak."

"The Grand Oak?" Abbey asked.

"I've heard of it before," Lagoona said. "Venus will go there occasionally. Isn't it almost like a school or something for dryads and stuff?"

"Oh, I love Venus," Caleen sighed. "She's such a doll. But yes, it is."

"Oh, but you know he didn't just pull you out of school," Deuce said.

"Okay, maybe not, but something tells me they don't want to hear gory details," Caleen rolled her green eyes. "And it wasn't _that_ bad. It was just painful because I was locked indoors and couldn't go outside."

"I know you're a morning person, but why have you come here?" Lamia asked. "It's seven in the morning, and none of us are morning monsters."

"Well, you woke us up," Cleo mumbled. Deuce kissed her hair.

"My cemetery flowers are gone. Again."

"Do you mean that they died?" Frankie asked.

"No," Caleen said. She shook her head, and her long pigtails swung back and forth. "For some reason, they always disappear. They never die. But disappearing won't stop me. I figured I'd see if Deuce might want to come this time. Well...except he isn't even close to ready."

"And you thought we'd be?" Seth asked, laughing.

"No, I planned to scare you once you woke up," Caleen joked.

"Wanna wait while we get ready?" Viperine asked.

"Sure," Caleen agreed. "Is it okay if I hang out outside?"

"That's fine," Seth said.

"Actually, you know a sh*t ton about Madison," Lamia said thoughtfully. "How about they come this time?"

"Works for me," Caleen smiled. "You?" Everybody nodded. "Kay. Then, it's settled."

"You chumps can borrow our clothes," Lamia said to the group.

* * *

Cleo, Clawdeen, Abbey, and Operetta followed Lamia into her room. "Welcome to my lair," Lamia said, walking over to a drawer. She opened it up. She picked up a black shirt with a purple lace overlay. Lamia threw it at Clawdeen. "Like it?"

"Yeah."

"It's yours for the day." Lamia then picked out a hot pink tee with two ice cream cones on it. The one on the right was light pink, on its side, and spilled, with x's for eyes. The one on the left was light gold, and it was screaming, 'NOOOOOOO!' Lamia tossed it to Abbey. "Well?"

"I like." Lamia then chose a white short-sleeved graphic tee with black sleeves. It had a mug shot of Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Alice had stretched earlobes, nose piercing, a tattooed neck and fingers, and piercings under her eyes. She was arrested for drug offenses. Lamia threw the shirt at Operetta.

"I like that one." Lamia chose a black, short-sleeved belly shirt. It had 'BOY LONDON' written in gold letters. There was an eagle in the O's hole. Cleo got the shirt thrown at her as well.

"I can pull this off."

"I know you all want to go around with only a shirt on," Lamia said sarcastically. "It's time for da pantz." Lamia opened another drawer and threw many different bottoms on the bed. She put four leggings, six pairs of pants, two jeggings, three tights, five shorts, and one skirt on her bed. "Choose your pick." Clawdeen picked a pair of bleached, ripped jeans. Cleo chose bleached, ripped booty shorts. Operetta chose leggings with vertical black and white stripes. Abbey chose ripped, ombre booty shorts that were yellow on the waistline, faded to orange, hot pink, and a bit of purple at the end.

"We're good, ghoul," Clawdeen said.

"'Kay," Lamia said. "You can use the closet, bathroom, or my room. However, you!" Lamia stopped to point at Cleo. "Go retrieve Frankie. She's in Viperine's room."

"Fine," Cleo shrugged. She left Lamia's bedroom, while Clawdeen went into the bathroom, Operetta went into the closet, and Abbey began undressing.

* * *

Viperine led Frankie, Lagoona, Draculaura, and Ghoulia to her room. She opened her closet door, revealing her large wardrobe. "What's mine is yours," she smiled.

"We can pick anything?" Frankie said.

"Anything that is your size," Viperine nodded. Frankie pulled out a floral, white, mid-thigh dress with pink flowers with green stems and leaves. There were ruffles at the bottom and the sleeves hung under the shoulder. A piece of fabric went over the shoulder however.

Draculaura chose a pink dress. It ended mid-thigh, had a bow on the neckline, and a translucent fabric for straps. It was covered in white polka dots. "My pearls go great with that!" Viperine picked up a long pearl necklace and draped it over Draculaura's head. She took one side of the necklace, put it over her head again, then repeated. "There. That's the way it looks best."

Lagoona picked out a knee-length, blue dress. The dress had royal blue straps that matched the chest area. The middle of the dress was light blue, then faded to the same royal blue at the bottom.

Ghoulia picked out a plum, short-sleeved dress that ended mid-thigh. It had a creme belt with a bow in the middle. "Another necklace needed." Viperine handed Ghoulia a necklace with many flower beads in random places.

"We're all ghouls that change in the locker room at school together," Frankie said.

"I'll lock the door," Viperine said. She walked over to the door and locked it. "You can start changing." Immediately, someone knocked on the door. "Hold on. Don't start yet." Viperine unlocked the door and opened it. Cleo stood in the doorway.

"Frankie! Lamia needs you," Cleo said.

"Okay," Frankie nodded. "Be right back, ghouls."

"Take your clothes!" Viperine called after her. Frankie took her clothes, and she and Cleo left. Viperine locked the door behind them. "Now you can get changed!"

* * *

Cleo and Frankie entered Lamia's room. "What do you need?" Frankie asked.

"Can you go tell Seth and Deuce that we'll be in Viperine's room when we're done dressing?" Lamia asked.

"Wait, why did you need two of-"

"Okay," Frankie interrupted Cleo, and the two left the room.

* * *

Seth led Clawd into his room. "Alright," he said, "shirts." he opened up two drawers. "Are here. Pants." He opened another drawer. "Are here. As long as I'm not wearing it, knock yourself out."

"Thanks, bro," Clawd said.

"The shirt'll probably fit, but if the pants don't, go see Deuce. He's got a smaller waistline." Clawd picked out a red graphic tee with a band name and logo on it. He didn't know what band it was, but since the logo looked cool, the werewolf went with it. He also chose bleached, ripped jeans. "Good choice." Someone knocked on the door, and Seth called out, "It's open!" Frankie opened the door and walked through, while Cleo followed.

"We'll be in Viperine's room when we're all done changing," Frankie said.

"Alright, thanks," Seth nodded. The two girls left, and Seth turned to Clawd. "I'll lock the door on the way out. You can change in here." Seth grabbed his own clothes and left the room, locking the door on the way out.

* * *

"Alright," Deuce said. "Anything specific you want to wear?"

"Uhh..." Jackson thought, "Anything, I guess."

"Well, I wouldn't let you walk around naked, if that's what you mean," Deuce chuckled. "Plaid?"

"Yes, please." Deuce opened a drawer and pulled out a buttoned-down, collared, blue, black, and white shirt with the sleeves rolled us to the shoulder. He handed it to Jackson.

"How's that?"

"It's good."

"Pants?"

"Put me in whatever you want."

"Black'll go best." Jackson nodded. "Mine's ripped, but it'll look awesome." Deuce opened another drawer. He pulled out a pair of black jeans with eight horizontal tears on each leg and a chain on the right side.

"It'll work."

"The jeans might not fit," Deuce said, pulling out clothes of his own. "If that happens, I'll either lend you a belt or you can borrow one of Seth's pants. His are bigger than mine though."

"Cool," Jackson nodded. Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Deuce yelled. Cleo and Frankie entered Deuce's room.

"We'll be in Viperine's room when you're done," Cleo said.

"Alright," Deuce said, "Do you have anywhere to dress, or did the ghouls lock you out?"

"I'm sure they locked the doors," Frankie answered.

Deuce nodded. "You can change in my bathroom if you'd like. It's not as messy as you'd think."

"It's really not," Cleo agreed. Considering the Wolfs' bathroom always had clothes littering the floors and hair, skincare, and feminine products all over the counters, Deuce's looked like it came straight from a Pottery Barn magazine. Cleo always thought it was odd that his bathroom was so much cleaner than his bedroom, but she wasn't complaining either.

"Don't forget to lock the door," Deuce said. "Jackson, I'll take the closet." The human nodded. Deuce picked up his clothes and went into his closet. Frankie and Cleo went into Deuce's bathroom.

* * *

"As we were reading Madison's diary," Draculaura said, pulling her shirt off her shoulders, "we came across one entry that we didn't understand."

"Oh?" Viperine asked, slipping off her fuzzy, pink pajama pants. "What was it about?"

"That's the thing," Lagoona said. "We don't know."

"She just kept apologizing and saying it wasn't her fault," Draculaura said.

"Oh...I know which one you're talking about," Viperine said.

"Do you know what she's referring to?" Ghoulia asked.

"No idea," Viperine answered. "No one does. And it kills Deuce especially, since they always told each other everything and wouldn't hide anything from each other. Knowing there's a secret that died with her...well, it's like having your last words be, 'I left a million dollars under my.' It bothers him a lot more than he lets on."

"So no one knows?" Lagoona asked. "Not you, not Deuce, not Lamia or Seth or Medusa or anyone?"

"Nope," Viperine said. She pulled her dress over her head. "Just Madison herself."

"What a shame..." Draculaura sighed.

* * *

"How'd you sleep?" Frankie asked as soon as the bathroom door was closed.

"Like a queen until that evil ghoul woke me up," Cleo groaned.

"Ask her to show you the picture later."

"What picture?"

"She'll show you." The two undressed before putting on their new clothes. Frankie noticed a door to her right and a door behind her.

"Hey...? Why are there more doors?" Frankie asked. She opened the door behind them, revealing the shower and toilet area.

"That's just the design of the bathroom," Cleo said.

"What about the other door?" Frankie asked, pointing to the door opposite to Deuce's.

"I don't know," Cleo said. "I never opened it."

Frankie walked up to the other door and opened it. They walked into the pitch black room, and Cleo sucked in a breath, biting her lip in order to stop herself from hyperventilating. Frankie found a light switch and flipped it. The lights came on, revealing the room. Cleo released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. There were red walls and a black platform bed. Silk black sheets and pillows lined the bed and matched the black wardrobe on the opposite side of the room, the one that was painted with silver faces. Frankie pulled out her phone and began recording the room.

"Whoa..."

"This must be Madison's room," Cleo said, opening the wardrobe and thumbing through the corsets, jackets, long skirts, black jeans, and two pairs of knee-length, black boots. Cleo pulled a corset out. "What I'm wondering is how does someone fit into this tiny thing fit them? I'm not fat, but this is not enough!"

"Look!" Frankie said, pointing to an acoustic guitar, a black electric guitar, and a black microphone.

"She's a musician alright."

Frankie recorded her desk. There were many bottles of pills and frames with pictures. "Wow..."

"Hey, Frankie?" The ghoul turned around to see Cleo looking at something on her dresser. "Do any of the siblings' names start with an E?"

"Yeah, Evangeline," Frankie answered, walking over to the dresser to stand next to Cleo. "Why?"

Cleo lifted a small, torn piece of paper with nothing but a single 'E' on it.

"Is there anything on the back?" Frankie asked suspiciously. She raised an eyebrow as Cleo turned her wrist to look at the other side.

It was on the back of a photo. The picture was in black and white and revealed two people- Madison and a human boy neither girl had seen before. He looked about Madison's age but didn't appear to be related to her. Both were smiling, but the boy's grin was more toothy and lively, while Madison's looked tighter and almost forced. Neither Frankie nor Cleo ignored the large welts on the two's cheeks and the black eye that the boy sported.

"Who is he?" Frankie asked.

Suddenly, the lights shut off, and the ghouls gasped. A candle on Madison's nightstand started to burn. Frankie and Cleo looked into the mirror. Instead of their reflections, they saw a girl with tan skin, snakes for hair, and emerald eyes. She bared her teeth at the girls, and her snakes hissed as they fanned out in anger around her face. She then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"What are you doing in here?" The voice was smooth yet clear and feminine. But it was full of anger.

"We need to leave!" Frankie cried to Cleo.

"Put my picture down," the voice boomed. Cleo and Frankie looked at each other in fright. "NOW!"

"Come on!" Frankie yelled. Cleo nodded. "We need to get out of here!" They ran to the door, but once they reached it, it slammed quickly and locked.

Three shadows appeared. One had a feminine figure and hissing snakes for hair. The second was a boy with horns and what looked like furry legs and a tail. The last one was also a girl like the first, but she had two, ginormous wings.

"Leaving so soon?" The shadow with the hissing hair- Ianthe- said. She snatched the picture out of Cleo's hands, clicked her forked tongue, and put the picture back where it belonged.

"You just joined the party!" The boy- Ashton- said.

"How rude." The fairy- Evangeline- put her hand on her upper chest, her fingertips resting on her collarbone.

Three more shadows appeared. The first looked like the boy from the first group of three. The second was a boy with a halo and wings, but unlike the fairy's wings, these were more bird-like with feathers. The last was a girl with low pigtails.

"I like the mummy," a deep voice from the horned boy named Jason said. The shadow jumped to each of the walls, as if he were circling the girls. "Nice features."

"Cleo's already taken," the angel boy- Gabriel- said in a smooth tenor voice.

"Deuce's ghoul," the girl named Roxie said.

"How do you know my name?!" Cleo shouted at the shadows. "And how do you know Deuce?!"

"She's onto us!" Ianthe said, jumping behind Gabriel's wings. Two more female shadows appeared. One had shoulder-length straight hair, and the other had two, extraordinarily long pigtails.

"What'd you think would happen?!" The one with straight hair- Gwendolyn- snapped. Her voice was deep for a female and scratchy. "Of course she knows."

"Cleo is angry!" The girl with long hair cheered loudly. "Heads will roll! So exciting!" She jumped up and down. "I've only heard the stories!" She said quickly. "I have yet to experience a real tantrum! Ooh, this is going to be fantastic! Especially with Jason's pride on the line! And especially the-"

"Alessia Airabella Stratus! Do you want to cause a scene?" Gwendolyn hissed with gritted teeth.

"Do it," Roxie said. "Jason's wounded ego, a riled-up Cleo, an irate Gwen, and an obnoxiously-excited Lacie? Why, it's the most action any of us have received all morning."

"Roxanne Skylar Stratus!" Gwendolyn snapped. "Don't fuel this! Control her!"

"Don't f*cking call me that," Roxie said. "I hate that name."

"And I'm not exactly keen on Alessia either," Lacie agreed.

"Hey, Gwen!" Ashton said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Chill out! Whatcha yellin' for? She spoke. Deal with it."

"They know we're here!" Gwendolyn hissed. "They can tell them!"

"Well, whose fault is it that they can hear us?" Ashton asked sarcastically and looked towards one of the snake-haired girls. "Violet..."

"What?" Ianthe said. "I like playing on this thing! We haven't had a real connection in how long?"

Two more girls appeared. Both had teardrop-shaped horns. One had wavy hair though, while the other's hair was straight.

"What?!" The one with wavy hair- Iris- squeaked.

"He can't know!" Evangeline said, obviously frightened.

"They'll kill us twice!" The other girl with teardrop horns- Kira- panicked.

Lacie began hyperventilating. "He's gonna beat us and torture us and burn us like he did to MADDIE!" She cried.

"My love, I'm fine," Madison replied calmly, much more tranquil now that her picture was safe, returned to its original location. "You burned too."

"I don't want that!" Roxie panicked. "I'm not in heaven, but it feels like it, since those first five years were hell!"

"Calm down, Leather and Lace!" Ianthe said gently.

"Violet, you've never lived to know what he can do," Jason growled.

"I don't need to live to know the harm. He killed me before I was even born. I was also always there, whether you saw me or not."

"Speaking of murder," Madison said, "when do you think Calla Lily and Deuce are leaving? I can't wait any longer."

"That's awful! Why would you say that?!" Evangeline gasped horrified.

"Thinking out loud," Madison shrugged. "Whoops. I can't wait! Especially since that first time was a tease. But imagine having us all back. It'll feel like a family again. A nice, dysfunctional family."

"So nice!" Gwendolyn grinned, almost mockingly. "What a heartwarming conversation!"

"But hey, at least we know how to put the 'fun' in 'dysfunctional'!" Ashton said.

"What the actual f*ck, Ashton?" Kira laughed.

"Language, Kira!" Gabriel cried.

"Uhh...Ghouls?" Frankie said.

"You still haven't answered my question!" Cleo said. "How do you know Deuce and me?!"

"She doesn't remember," Madison said.

"I don't...what?" Cleo said, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.

"Looks like it worked!" Ashton cheered.

"Wiped her straight clean," Kira said. "How long was it supposed to last, again?"

"Up until she remembers," Gabriel said. "I guess that day has finally arrived."

Ianthe looked towards her identical sister. "Mockingbird, should we-"

"Not now," she interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Good things come to those who wait, my love."

"Later," Ianthe said. Madison nodded.

"I know, doll." Madison then appeared in the flesh to Cleo and Frankie. Frankie shrieked and fell backwards, not able to take her eyes off the gaping hole in the gorgon's chest and stomach. Yet, the mummy just paled. Madison gave a small, close-lipped smile. "Cleo de Nile and Frankie Stein, we will see you soon. Very soon, and I am looking forward to meeting all of you." Suddenly, the shadows and Madison disappeared, and the door unlocked.

"That was..." Cleo trailed off, at a complete loss for words.

"Weird. Horrifying. Voltageous!" Frankie turned to look at Cleo. "Come on. We should probably leave." They exited Madison's room and went into Deuce's room through the bathroom. Deuce and Jackson were already dressed.

"Coming?" Deuce asked, oblivious to what happened in the room next door.

"Yeah," Cleo nodded. The four of them left Deuce's room and went to Viperine's room.

* * *

"Alright," Lamia said when everyone was in Viperine's room. "It takes roughly thirty minutes to get to the cemetery. We can split up between the cars. Ghoulia, you have the thingymabopper, right?" Ghoulia nodded. "Perfect."

"And who's going with me to pick the flowers?" Caleen said, half of her body hanging out the window. Her torso and head hung out the building, her long hair brushing the sides of the house.

"Just the team?" Seth offered. "The rest of us can go pick up breakfast or something."

Caleen nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Okay, are you ready to go?" Seth asked. He was rewarded with the nods of everyone. They hurried downstairs to the kitchen, where Medusa was sitting at the table already.

"How was clubbing with the moms?" Lamia asked her aunt. Medusa scoffed.

"We didn't go clubbing," she said. "Maybe if we were biologically thirty years younger."

"Age is just a number," Seth grinned.

"Seth, that's only what pedophiles say," Medusa said. Lamia laughed and smacked Seth.

"Seth's a child toucher!" She laughed. Seth went to smack her back, but she quickly dodged the blow. "Watch out for Pedo! He's coming to touch your- Hey!" Lamia laughed as Seth tried to hit her again. "How do you make a kid cry twice?" She ran behind Medusa. "Once you've finished, you wipe the blood off on their teddy bear."

"Lamia, get the hell out of my house," Medusa snapped. Lamia laughed at her own sick joke as she stepped away from her aunt. Seth tried to grab his sister, but she stood up on the table. "Sit your a*s down." Lamia complied and got off the table.

"We're going out," Seth told Medusa. She nodded.

"As long as _someone_ doesn't stand up on the tables and get you kicked out, I'm fine with it."

"I'll hold her down," Viperine offered.

"We'll call her ' _Bind_ perine,'" Lamia joked.

"Oh, ha ha," Viperine said sarcastically. "How funny."

"As long you don't break anything, hurt anyone, or get arrested, knock yourselves out," Medusa said. "Did you eat breakfast yet?"

"No, we're going out," Deuce said.

"I can make you something."

"No, Mom, it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Get something before you go anyway."

"Mom."

"You know I'm worried about you, Moró," Medusa said with a sigh. "You're so tiny."

"I'm really not, but okay."

"Eat something."

Deuce rolled his eyes, opened the fridge, and pulled out spanakopita. He ate it cold without a second thought.

"You realize you're supposed to cook that, right?" Medusa asked, staring at her son.

"It's like pizza," Deuce said. "It's already cooked, so I can eat it hot or cold."

"I like it better cold anyway," Lamia agreed with Deuce. Deuce tossed Lamia a piece, and she caught it without flinching. He shut the fridge door.

"I like it warm," Seth said, scrunching up his nose in disgust. "Cold tastes weird."

"He's more like my son than you are, Moró," Medusa said.

"Only when it comes to food," Deuce pointed out.

"Looks too," Medusa added. "Although your personality comes from me. You're welcome, by the way." She looked through the window and saw Caleen making a horrifying face, one of poison ivy skin and crimson eyes. She screamed, and Caleen transformed back to her regular look and entered the kitchen. Medusa smacked Caleen's arm. "Godsd*mmit! Caleen! Don't do that! It's early."

"I was going to do that to your son, nieces, and nephew," Caleen laughed. "It went horrific, and I fell on Viperine."

"Anyway, we'll see ya later," Seth said.

"Alright. If you get arrested, I'm not letting you out or giving you bail money," Medusa said. "I'm keeping you there and letting you explain to my sisters how you got there in the first place."

"We aren't planning on getting arrested," Deuce told her.

"And I wasn't planning on having kids. Things don't always go as planned. Remember that."

"I love you too," Deuce said sarcastically. They left, and Deuce slammed the door shut behind them.

* * *

"Can we record this?" Frankie asked as the team and Caleen walked though a garden that the dryad led them to.

"Uh...Sure...?" Caleen shrugged. Ghoulia started recording. "Alright, so I need a bunch of flowers. Like, almost two hundred. Actually, it's a hundred ninety-eight flowers," Caleen said. "We need eight Purple Dahlias, seven Marigolds, eleven Amethyst Sea Hollies, six Scabiosas, thirteen Forget Me Nots, sixteen Violets, nine Geum Blazing Sunsets, five Hibiscuses, two Spring Starflowers, and lots of roses. One hundred twenty-one black roses, six rainbow roses, and seven green roses. You don't have to find that color of roses, but we need a hundred thirty-four roses."

"Wow," Cleo said, grimacing as she felt her heels sink into the ground. "Why so specific?"

"This is very meaningful!" Caleen said. They waited a moment, but Caleen never added on to the statement.

"Well...?" Cleo asked.

"Besides the black roses, all the flowers I just named are the favorite flowers of all my brothers and sisters. The number of flowers they get depends on the age they died. Ianthe is the exception. She was never born, but her name means "violets", so that's what we give her. Whatever age she's supposed to be, that's how many violets she gets. Everyone also gets a dozen black roses, since they signify death."

"That's cool," Frankie marveled.

"By the way, watch out for wasps," Caleen added.

"Alright."

"So what was Madison like?" Clawdeen asked.

Caleen sighed wistfully. "Madison..." she said, "I haven't heard that name in forever."

"We need everything we can get," Draculaura said.

"She reminds me of her mom," Caleen said. "Which is odd considering that everyone always said that Deuce was more like his mom and Maddie was more like her father."

"Mrs. Gorgon said something...kinda...rude," Frankie said.

"Nah," Caleen shrugged it off. "Those Gorgons. They tend to state things how they are. They all do. They're so...blunt. But Deuce is used to stuff like that. He knows he's not supposed to be born. He knows his mom was a rape victim- not once, but twice. He knows this. We all do."

"Doesn't that hurt, sheila?" Lagoona asked. "To know you're a mistake?"

"I like to think of it as 'accident,' not 'mistake,'" Caleen said. "And no, not really. A little at first, but you get used to it after a while. We all did. I mean-" Caleen stepped over a tree root. "We all are accidental on Dad's end. I was the only one whom the mother wanted. There's one dryad per tree species, and the dryad man who was responsible for the eucalyptus was growing very old and was really sick. If he died before another dryad was assigned to his tree species, the entire species would die out. And think of the koalas! So Mother Earth had me a few days before the man died."

"Does she always get with normies?" Clawd asked.

Caleen nodded. "I know; it is a bit unexpected. But it helps us talk to the humans more easily. However, some of our parents chose to have sex with him...not all of it was rape."

"But?" Frankie asked. She knew deep down that the dryad had more to say.

"We're not supposed to be here, but some chose to sleep with him," Caleen said. "Example. Jason and Ashton's mom was eleven when she first had Jason. Obviously it wasn't planned, but surprisingly, it wasn't forced."

"Seriously?" Clawd choked. Caleen nodded.

"I couldn't even imagine being a mother at eleven," Cleo said.

"It's crazy to think about, but yeah," Caleen said. "Fawn was twenty-six when she went to Mark's court case. Jason would've been fifteen, and Ashton would've been fourteen."

"How did that turn out?" Draculaura asked. "His court case, I mean."

"The half siblings you know...their parents all came. The mothers, their boyfriends or husbands, Iris and Kira's dad, whatever- all came."

"Where were you?" Jackson asked.

"Hospital. Deuce was getting his surgery done at the time, so I waited outside." Jackson coughed uncomfortably. "I was in the courtroom for about eight minutes. Just to go to the stand. I was a witness after all. Then, I left." Caleen pursed her lips. "Lamia, Seth, and Viperine went as well to the courtroom. Seth had said that Mark lied the entire way through, but Lamia noticed when the same question was given twice, and he gave two different answers for each one. Lamia exposed him, and he started pleading the fifth. Evidence was given to the judge, and Mark was locked up. Well, really he pleaded innocent, so the case took longer than a long time. Marisa pleaded guilty though on her first time."

"That annoys me so much," Clawd grunted.

A wasp then flew up to the team. Frankie tried swatting it away, but it took revenge and stung her. She squealed and sparked. Caleen noticed and quickly ran to a tobacco plant. She pulled off one of its leaves and yelped. She rushed to Frankie and put the tobacco leaf on the sting.

"Whoa!" Frankie said after a minute. "It doesn't hurt anymore!"

"Tobacco plants take the poison away," Caleen said.

"Ya screamed when ya took off the leaf," Operetta said.

"If anyone hurts a plant, they hurt dryads. My tree is the eucalyptus. If all the eucalyptus trees were cut down, I'd die."

"You hurt yourself to help me?" Frankie asked gratefully.

"Course!" Caleen said, as if she were surprised that Frankie would ask such a thing. "Deuce did it all the time, and Madison got really mad too."

"Why?" Jackson asked. "He's keeping her safe."

"That may be true, but she wanted to keep him safe as well. They looked out for each other."

"That's sweet," Draculaura smiled.

"It was, but it annoyed Maddie how much Deuce wanted to protect her. He'd hurt himself just to make sure she was okay."

"Still totes cute."

"Like those two...they never really had enough to eat. If they did acquire food, Deuce would always make sure Maddie ate first. If there wasn't enough, he wouldn't eat at all."

"Really?" Lagoona asked.

Caleen nodded. "That boy is basically a mom."

"Did you see Deuce often after Madison died?" Frankie asked.

"A few times," Caleen answered. "He really went downhill. Most of when I saw him was when he went into foster care. I would sneak over to the houses to visit him and make sure he was alright. They did _not_ want him. At all. Like this one time, one of his homes chained him outside to the house like a dog, and I would sneak him food when I could. They caught me once, and they set up one of those traps that lines the entire yard with a laser. Do you know what I'm talking about?" The team nodded. "Yeah, they set up those. I would tie the food to squirrels and hide up in the trees as the animals delivered it to him."

"He took her death really hard," Clawdeen commented. "I mean, if one of my siblings died, yeah, I'd be upset, but I'd get over it. Like...I'm a werewolf. My pack means the world to me. But still. No offense, Clawd."

"None taken," he said.

"Maybe," Caleen said. "But you have to remember that nobody else was there for him. Not his mom. Not his cousins. Not his teachers. No one. It was just Madison. If he needed something or someone, she was the only one he could truly rely on to be there for him at that moment. So he didn't just lose his sister. He lost his partner in crime. His teacher. His nurse. His shoulder to cry on. His rock. His cheerleader. His best friend. He didn't just lose his sister. He lost his everything." They walked a little further, no one knowing what to say. "There's some dahlias."

"Were dahlias on your list?" Ghoulia asked.

"Only the purple ones. We need eight." Everyone dug through the flowers before Frankie lifted one up in the air.

"I found one!"

"Me too!" Clawdeen added.

"Totes!"

"Bonzer!"

"Cool."

"I did as well."

"Found one."

"I got the last one," Caleen said. Everyone handed the purple dahlias to Caleen. She put them in a basket and gave the basket to a raven, which seemingly appeared out of thin air. The raven followed the group. A dove flew up out of the garden, and the group followed it. The dove led them to a group of marigolds. "Sweet! Thank you, Gabe!"

"How many do we-"

"Seven," Caleen interrupted Abbey. "We need seven." Jackson picked seven marigolds and put it in a basket carried by the dove. Everyone heard a hoot and saw an owl. It tilted its head and flew off towards many red roses. There, they saw a duck as well. "Pick as many as you can." Everyone picked many roses until there were a hundred thirty-four roses. The duck took all the roses and turned a hundred twenty-one roses black, six roses rainbow, and seven roses green. Caleen put twelve black roses in the basket carried by the raven and twelve black roses in the basket carried by the dove. She handed the duck and owl each a basket. In the duck's basket, there were all six rainbow roses and twelve black roses. In the owl's basket, there were all seven green roses and twelve black roses. All the birds followed everyone.

"What up with the birds?" Operetta asked. The duck quacked at the mention of it.

"They're helping carry the flowers and lead us to them. It's a large garden, no matter how much time you spend here," Caleen answered. "Gwendolyn sent me the raven. Gabriel sent me the dove. Kira sent me an owl, and Iris sent me the duck. The duck changed the roses into different colors, but with Iris' help."

"That's nice of 'em."

"I guess they can't wait for some company," Caleen laughed. "They can't wait for you to come see them. I imagine it gets boring. And lonely, even with all the family in there." She heard a ticking noise come from the basket, and she turned to see a hummingbird pecking at the basket. The hummingbird then flew off to a bunch of scabiosas. "We need six." Cleo picked the desired amount of flowers- a mix of blue and purple- before placing them in a basket with twelve black roses. Caleen handed the basket to the abnormally strong hummingbird that could somehow carry it.

"How many more?" Cleo asked.

"Forty-five more flowers." Caleen stopped and listened, and everyone stared at her as she didn't move a muscle. "Do you hear that?" Everyone shook their heads. She kept listening for just a bit more before moving. "'Enjoy the Silence!'" She said. "Madison loved that song." Caleen chased off after the humming. Frankie shrugged and went after her, and everyone followed suit. They saw Caleen standing before a mess of blue flowers. A gray mockingbird sat in the middle, singing softly.

"What kind of flowers are those?" Frankie asked.

"Forget-Me-Nots," Caleen answered.

Cleo rolled her aquamarine eyes. "How ironic."

"We need thirteen," Operetta said. Everyone picked one of the blue flowers, except Cleo and Operetta, who picked two. The mockingbird took all the Forget-Me-Nots and put them in a basket with a dozen black roses. The bird carried the basket, and led them to a blackbird. The blackbird had sixteen violets in its mouth. The blackbird dropped the violets in a basket with a dozen black roses. Like all the other birds, it carried the basket. A blue jay swooped over Frankie and the ghouls. He flew to a patch of Geum Blazing Sunsets. Next to the flowers, there were Amethyst Sea Hollies and an eagle. Caleen picked nine red flowers and eleven purple flowers. They each went in a basket with a dozen black roses. The baskets were carried by the birds.

"Seven more!" Caleen called. As if on cue, two birds immediately swooped in. They were a cardinal and a swan. They led to a bunch of red and baby blue flowers. Caleen picked five, red hibiscuses, and two, blue star flowers. Each group went in a basket with a dozen roses.

"Are we done yet?!" Cleo groaned.

"Done picking the flowers," the dryad nodded. "We should go; the others are probably waiting for us." She took the baskets from birds, and suddenly, all the birds turned to ash.

"That was so voltage!"

"Fin-tastic!"

Caleen went off towards to the garden's exit, and the others followed. The three gorgons were already waiting at the car when the crowd showed up. Lamia tossed Frankie and Operetta each a paper bag.

"There's breakfast," she said. "There should be plenty for all of you."

"What is it?" Clawdeen asked, opening the bag in Frankie's hands.

"Biscuits," Seth answered. "There's sausage, plain, I think chicken. There's also butter, jelly, and whatever if you want." As everyone piled in the car, they passed the bag around, each person taking what they wanted.

"Where's our next stop?" Caleen said, lowering the window to stick her head out. She breathed a sigh of relief as she inhaled a gulp of carbon dioxide and exhaled oxygen, just as trees do.

"Cemetery," Lamia said. "You got all the flowers?" Caleen nodded, her pigtails swinging wildly. "Good."

"Calla Lily," Seth said from the driver's seat. "It's starting to rain. You might want to roll your window up."

"But that's when it's best," the dryad smiled, sticking out her tongue to taste the drops.

"If it downpours," Seth warned, "I'm bringing that window up myself." Caleen rolled her meadow green eyes and continued to enjoy the feeling of the rain on her cheeks.

* * *

"We're here!" Viperine called. Frankie perked up before shaking Clawdeen and Draculaura awake.

"Guys, we're here," Frankie repeated to the drowsy teens. Clawdeen nodded as Seth parked the car. Everyone pushed their way out of the car, excited to stretch their legs. Frankie looked up at the rain. "My bolts are going to need some sort of protection or something."

"We've got a hoodie in the back," Seth said, reaching in the trunk to grab a black hoodie. He tossed it to Frankie, who quickly put it on and used the excess fabric to cover her bolts.

"It's a shame it's raining," Clawdeen said. "My hair's gonna poof."

"And my heels are going to get ruined!" Cleo complained.

"Let's hurry then," Frankie offered. They all walked through the entrance of the cemetery. Deuce felt his throat tighten. Seth sensed Deuce's discomfort and put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing circles into it with his fingers. "What are the numbers?"

"Madison is C47," Deuce answered. "Ianthe is C48. They're all lined up until you get to C57, which is Iris.

"Thank you," Frankie said and nodded. Everyone trudged through the grass up through a hill. Suddenly, Lamia stopped and started laughing. Everyone stopped to turn and stare at her.

"What's so funny?" Seth asked.

"Look at this headstone." They went to look at the headstone that Lamia stopped at. It read, "Here lies David Blaine. 1973-2007. He thought we'd dig him up after a few days. Tee hee." Lamia laughed loudly. "I love it!" Seth looked at the one next to David Blaine's and tapped Lamia's shoulder.

"Well, this one says, 'Here lies Ezekiel Scream. Age 102. Only the good die young.'"

Lamia couldn't contain herself. "I'm gonna pee myself!" She cried.

"We aren't here to look at stupid headstones!" Deuce said.

"I know, I know, but-" She was interrupted by her laughter. Deuce rolled his eyes and kept walking up the hill. Everyone followed him, and Lamia quickly recovered to join them. They reached the top of the grassy hill where there was only one row of graves. On the left, there was a weeping willow. In order from left to right, Madison, Ianthe, Evangeline, Ashton, Jason, Lacie, Roxie, Gabriel, Gwendolyn, Kira, and Iris were lined up. Deuce's eyes stung as his face quickly began turning red.

"Are you okay?" Seth whispered to his cousin. Deuce nodded, wiping away tears.

"You sure?" Viperine asked. Deuce nodded again. This time, Cleo grabbed Deuce's hand and squeezed it.

"Look at the headstones," Clawdeen said, pointing to the stones in front of them.

"'Iris Iraine Pallen-Roygip,'" Draculaura read. "'We can still see you riding the rainbow to hope.' That's sweet."

"'Kira Rainey Pallen-Roygip. If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart; I'll stay there forever.'" Frankie felt her heart wrench as she read that.

"'Gwendolyn Evie Demõn,'" Clawd read. "'Just make sure you get your revenge.' What kind of inspirational quote is that?!"

"Yeah..." Lamia shrugged. "Amaranthe always acted like the hot-heated, fiery-tempered demon she was born to be." Clawd scoffed. "And boy, was she pissed when she heard about her daughter's death."

Jackson read, "'Gabriel Angelus Halo. Just whisper my name in your heart, and I will always be there.'"

"'Roxanne Skylar Stratus,'" Clawdeen read. "'The wind that gave me my first breath also received my last sigh.' I really like that!"

"'Alessia Airabella Stratus,'" Abbey read. "'Rest with clouds of cotton candy and dreams that form reality,'" Lagoona read.

"'Jason Jael Buck,'" Operetta read. "'We'll meet you there when the time comes.'"

"'Ashton Faunus Buck. Your life may have been short, but you made it memorable,'" Frankie read.

"'Evangeline Pixie Wings,'" Viperine read. "'Reality depresses me. I need to find fantasy worlds and escape in them.'"

"'Ianthe Gorgon,'" Cleo read. "'Even in death, our love goes on.'"

"'Madison Gorgon,'" Deuce read, tears threatening to slip out. "'Sweet sleep, my dark angel. Deliver us from sorrow's hold.'" Cleo gripped his hand tighter.

"Hey, Calla Lily's right," Seth said, pointing to the indents on the graves. "There are marks from the flowers, but no actual flowers."

"Oh well," Lamia shrugged.

"We got more!" Caleen pointed out. She held up the baskets before placing the flowers on their designated graves.

"I'll start recording," Ghoulia groaned. She pulled out her recorder and began recording.

"Ghoulia, do you have the serum?" Frankie asked. Ghoulia nodded.

"Of course!" She handed Clawdeen her recorder and pulled out a beaker full of a bright orange liquid. There was a cork on top of the beaker. "It's all ready, it just needs to be heated up."

"Heated up?" Frankie asked. "How are we supposed to-"

"I always carry a lighter!" Lamia grinned. She dug into her bra and pulled out a lighter. She lit a flame as Ghoulia removed the cork. Lamia held the lighter under the beaker.

"It's ready!" Ghoulia grinned. She poured the orange liquid on the row of graves. A portal suddenly formed on the ground.

"Time to meet the family," Frankie said. Everyone jumped through the portal, and it closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this happened...
> 
> Some of the headstones are song lyrics. The songs used are:  
> "Even in Death" by Evanescence  
> "My Heart is Broken" by Evanescence
> 
> The song title for the chapter is "Exodus" by Evanescence.


	6. Is There a Future When You Only See in Memories?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After making it to the Other Side, the group learns that they must go through Madison's memories first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Monster High or any of the songs used in the making of this story.

They stepped out of the portal and looked around. The location was tight and dark- so dark they couldn't even see each other.

"Where am I?" Lamia said, walking around before she hit something hard. A wall began to glow, and everyone looked over to it. Cleo quickly ran to it, trying to regain her sense of tranquility, as her fear of the dark was surely becoming prevalent.

"Thank Ra," she whispered. "Some light!"

"This is voltageous..." Frankie sparked immediately, and the electricity gave off more light.

"Keep doing that, Frankie!" Seth called to the lab creation.

Suddenly, everyone heard a voice coming from far away. A light appeared near the voice, shining over a grand piano. Not knowing what else to do, they all began walking towards the light. A figure walked to the piano with such a grace about her. She was skinny with soft olive arms. She had green snakes akin to Deuce's, but hers were pulled into low pigtails. There were a few snakes on the sides of her head that weren't in the pigtails, and those drooped downward. She wore a red corset and a long, black skirt that swayed as she walked. Yet, the most noticeable feature about her was the large, gaping holes in her chest and her back. She stopped at the piano before singing. Her voice was melodic and stunning, smooth yet had a perfect balance of strength and frailty.

"Is that her?" Frankie asked.

"Oh my gods..." Deuce murmured, not being able to take his eyes off her.

"Maddie," Lamia choked out, her voice hoarse with emotion. Madison continued singing despite the attention.

"Mockingbird!" Seth yelled. Madison still couldn't seem to hear them, and another figure stepped next to the piano. She looked identical to Madison, except she wasn't as slim, she didn't have bloody holes in her body, and her snakes were left down to curl on her shoulders. She wore a light blue corset and a matching black skirt. As Madison continued singing, the other girl joined in, her voice just as magnificent as the other's.

"Who's that?" Viperine asked. She squinted, trying to get a better view of the girl.

"Ianthe!" Deuce yelled, trying to go in their direction. Neither girl could hear him though as they continued to sing. "Violet! Mockingbird!" Yet, they still couldn't hear him calling out to them and kept singing.

Suddenly, the music got choppy and stopped for only a second. Dramatically, an electric guitar, drums, and bass were added to the music, the lights flicked on instantly, and everyone's outfit changed into something much more formal. The lights revealed mirrors that lined the walls, and everyone stood next to their own mirror, looking at themselves.

"Fin-tastic!" Lagoona said, staring at her attire. She wore a blue, strapless mermaid dress with a sweetheart top. The point of a pink starfish was embroided on her chest where the material was gathered. There was a dark blue pattern that resembled waves at the bottom of the dress. She wore many pearl accessories, including a bracelet, a necklace, and earrings. Her hair ended at her tailbone, her blonde hair fading to a blue ombre at the ends. Her eyeshadow and eyeliner were blue, but her lips were green. The entire ensemble was flattering on her.

"Whoa..." Abbey said, wearing a long-sleeve dress. It was layered, each layer a different color. Purple was on the top, then white, then blue, then it repeated. At the end of each layer, the fabric was cut into zigzags. Diamonds were sewn all around the dress to look like shards of ice. Her white hair was tucked into a bun with bangs. Her blue, purple, and pink highlights were strategically facing the front of her bun. Abbey wore opal earrings. Her eyeshadow was blue, and her eyeliner and lipstick were purple.

"Ooh! I need a dress like this at home," Cleo said, marveling at herself like usual. Her outfit was a light orange, strapless dress with a sweetheart top. It had a large, diamond-shaped sardonyx where the material at the top gathered, forming the sweetheart top. Crushed sardonyx surrounded the largest stone, the scattering of orange fitting nicely with the rest of the dress. Cleo also wore a sardonyx bracelet, earrings, and necklace, where the stones were triangle-shaped on each piece. Her hair was laced into an elaborate version of a fishtail braid that laid on her right shoulder. Cleo wore light orange eyeshadow, gold eyeliner, and red-orange lipstick.

"Gods, no..." Deuce mumbled to himself, shock prevalent in his eyes. He wore a white tuxedo with a black shirt and ruby tie. His shoes were also ruby, but his glasses were rimmed with gold. His hair was in his signature mohawk, but the first snake was draped over his eyes. The reflection in the mirror revealed Deuce with deep bags under black, swollen, red-rimmed eyes, and hundreds of cuts, scars, welts, bites, bruises, and wounds on his skin. He looked down at his hands but couldn't see what the mirror showed; his hands were flawless and unmarked.

"Oh my gods!" Lamia said, looking at herself. "Snake bites! I love you, Maddie!" She wore a purple, strapless dress with a sweetheart top. The lavender skirt had a spiderweb design. The shell of her ear was lined in piercings, with little gold hoops trailing down. The piercing on her earlobe was a thicker, slightly larger gold hoop. The sapphire ring she always wore still laid nestled on her ring finger. She also still had her eyebrow piercing, but she now had a diamond nose ring and snake bites. Her hair was styled into a flipped hairdo. All her hair was tossed up onto her right side in a way that looked bada*s but still looked formal, and her left side looked like it was shaved from far away, but up close, white scales covered her scalp. Her lips were deep red, and her eyeliner was light purple.

"Huh," Seth said, "well, look at that." He wore a light green tuxedo with a gold undershirt and yellow tie. His shoes were also gold and matched his shirt. His hair was styled so that his bangs were brushed back out of his face and his usually curly, brown snakes reached his shoulders like usual, but they achieved a more windswept look.

"Wow..." Viperine said. She wore a Grecian-style sheath dress with a v-neck. It was pink, but the skirt had gold and pink ruffles to imitate scales. A large, golden scale sat on each shoulder where the straps were. Her hair was put into a high ponytail. She wore a kunzite ring as well, the pink stone matching her outfit perfectly. Her eyeshadow was pink, her eyeliner was gold, and her lipstick was pink. "That's really pretty."

"Cool," Jackson nodded, wearing a lemon yellow tuxedo with a dark gray shirt and white tie. The shoes matched his shirt. His glasses were gold, and his bangs were parted to his right.

"Sugar has good taste in clothes," Operetta grinned. She had a ruby red, sleeveless dress with white and black diamonds sown into it to resemble music notes. Her hair was wavy, red, and ombre, fading to black at the ends. She wore a treble clef necklace made of diamonds. Operetta's eyeshadow and lipstick were red, and her eyeliner was black.

"We look voltageous!" Frankie wore a sleeveless, sheath dress with a sweetheart top. It had a patchwork style and had squares of fabric of different colors, but they were all sewn together out of thick, gold thread. The skirt had a slit on the side, revealing her lime green heels and her left leg. Frankie wore a bracelet and necklace made of gold beads. Her earrings were gold teardrops. Frankie's bangs were cut at an angle, and her hair was in a high ponytail.

"Fang-tastic!" Draculaura smiled, staring at her new pink, ballgown dress with a gold skirt. There was one sleeve, and it sat on Draculaura's left shoulder. There were dozens of tiny, black fangs on the skirt. Her black hair was put into two braids. She wore a gold fang necklace to top it all. Her eyeshadow and lipstick were red, and her eyeliner was gold.

"That's cool." Clawd wore a teal tuxedo with a white shirt and yellow tie. His shoes were yellow as well. His hair was styled into perfect, sharp spikes.

"Clawesome!" Clawdeen exclaimed, wearing a purple dress that was frayed at the end. The top was asymmetrical, and the right side had a long sleeve, while the left side was bare and sleeveless. There were diamonds in Clawdeen's hair, which was wavy with bangs. She also wore a gold paw print necklace. Clawdeen's eyeshadow was purple, her eyeliner was gold, and her lips were plum.

"I love this dress!" Ghoulia groaned happily. Her brown mini dress had roots and worms at the bottom that hung down and touched the floor. Her shoes were brown, and the heels were shaped as worms. Her necklace and bracelets were all pink worms, and her glasses matched her jewelry. Her blue hair was put into two high buns on top with curls cascading down her back. Her eyeshadow and lipstick were red, but her eyeliner was brown.

"Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear," a deep voice said, more speaking than singing. It wasn't Madison's or Ianthe's, yet there was no one else there. "Sealed with lies through so many tears. Lost from within, pursuing the end. I fight for the chance to be lied to again."

"You will never be strong enough." Madison sang with a burning passion. "You will never be good enough. You were never conceived in love. You will not rise above." She took a breath before beginning the chorus. "They'll never see. I'll never be. I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger. Burning deep inside of me."

"But through my tears breaks a blinding light," the voice continued as Madison sang a backup line. "Birthing a dawn to this endless night. Arms outstretched, awaiting me. An open embrace upon a bleeding tree."

"Rest in me and I'll comfort you." The voice and Madison sang together, his rough voice and her smooth one being a gorgeous contrast. "I have lived and I died for you. Abide in me and I vow to you. I will never forsake you."

"They'll never see. I'll never be. I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger. Burning deep inside of me." Madison sang alone. "They'll never see. I'll never be. I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger. Burning deep inside of me."

"Rest in me and I'll comfort you. I have lived and I died for you. Abide in me and I vow to you. I will never forsake you." The deep voice repeated Madison's earlier verse, but he screamed it, his throat becoming drier and scratchier than what once was.

"They'll never see." Madison sang. "I'll never be. I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger. Burning deep inside of me." She then went back to her original part at the beginning, singing the same two vowels and slurring together different notes. Ianthe joined in, just as she had originally. They faded off at the end, and the music ended as well. Madison and Ianthe turned around, putting their backs to the group. They appeared to be talking to someone.

"Look up," Deuce said. Everyone looked up to see a carpet of rainbow flowers on the ceiling. There were three rows. The first and third row had only black roses. The second row had all the flowers that were picked specifically someone, creating a rainbow path of flowers.

"There's where the flowers went," Frankie said.

"Who are they?" Jackson asked, pointing to two girls walking towards the group. The first ghoul had red skin and green eyes with black scleras. She had shoulder-length, wavy, black hair with bangs. She wore a purple, cross-strapped gown. It had a piece of sewn-in, purple fabric that wrapped around her torso- almost like a belt- made of the same fabric. She had purple eyeliner and red lips. She also had a purple bobble bracelet and a red jelly bracelet on her right arm and an infinity bracelet on her left arm. The second ghoul had a one-strap, blue and black dress. It had light blue fabric on her chest. The torso was blue and black, angled plaid. The skirt had blue and black ruffles and a slit, which showed her left leg and indigo heels. Her shoulder-length hair was styled so that two small pigtails were pulled up to sit above her blonde curls like small pigtails. She had two ginormous blue and purple wings on her back.

"Gwendolyn and Evangeline," Deuce answered, not taking his eyes off the two. The duo walked up to a corner about a foot from an invisible border that divided one group from the other. "Gwen! Evan!" The ghouls could not hear Deuce. A male with a red tuxedo, blonde hair, and ram's horns sneaked up behind Evangeline. He pushed her forward, scaring her, and she jumped in fright. He laughed as she regained herself. Evangeline put her hand up to her chest, feeling her heart palpitate from inside her. Her eyes darted towards Gwendolyn, whose fists were balled up in anger.

"You little f*cktard!" Gwendolyn screamed, her eyes glowing brightly in anger. "Why do you always mess with her like that?"

"Oh, chill," the satyr said. "She gets scared over everything anyway. What's one more little fright?"

"You know she's sensitive!"

"I think the word you're looking for is 'coward.'"

The demon's horns grew larger, her nails sharper. She grew several feet, and fangs bared from her lips. Frankie and the team cowered as their lips quivered in fear. They stared at the monster in front of them, freezing in fear. Gwendolyn stared down at the satyr with malice. "No, I _meant_ , she's sensitive! And this is the eighth time this week! I'm sick of you always messing with her every day!"

She reached down to grab the satyr, who immediately bolted. His goat legs were quick, but Gwen's new, enormous stature was quicker. The floor shook underneath her as she stomped towards him. Evangeline ran behind her, begging her to calm down and that it was a well-intentioned joke.

Suddenly, it started raining, and everyone heard thunder. Lightning cracked against the air, and everyone jumped. Two figures- a boy with caramel hair, a halo, white wings, and a light blue tuxedo, and a girl with a red dress and black belt, a black bun, and dangly storm cloud earrings with dangly blue beads that resembled rain drops- stood. The ghoul had her hands held high to the flower-covered ceiling, and the boy had his arms crossed across his chest.

"They are...?" Clawdeen whispered, still in shock over the demon's monstrous form.

"Roxie and Gabriel," Deuce answered again.

As Gwendolyn shrunk back to her normal height, Gabriel nodded to Roxie. The girl lowered her hands, and the rain stopped. He then turned back to the fairy, demon, and satyr.

"Ah, Ashton," the angel said in a smooth tenor voice. "We've told you Gwendolyn can squash you like a bug. Yet, you never seem to disappoint."

"Whose side are you on here, Mr. Perfect?" Gwendolyn snapped.

"I'm not 'Mr. Perfect.' You know...you know that couldn't be further from the truth."

"I call Gwen's side," Roxie said. Her voice was low but clear as rainwater. "Gabe, when Ash threw a water balloon at you, you were flopping on the floor like a fish. I'm not quite sure you're over that."

"Say that five times fast." A ghoul with blue hair swept into a side ponytail walked towards the group. She too ignored Frankie's crowd. She had rainbow horns and thick, red lines under her eyes. She had a sweetheart, strapless dress that was very colorful. The torso had stripes that were- in order- red, purple, blue, green, yellow, and red. There was a gold adornment in the middle. The skirt was green, blue, purple, red, purple, blue, then green. Her eyeshadow was yellow, and her lips were purple. She had dangly rainbow earrings, a rainbow bracelet, and a pot-of-gold necklace. "Floppin' on the floor like a fish."

"Alliteration. It's got a name, you know." Another ghoul walked towards the group. She had a green, strapless, sweetheart dress with sequins. She had wavy, brown hair, rainbow horns, green eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and pink lips. Her earrings were green stones, which were jadeites. Clawdeen looked towards Deuce questioningly.

"The one with blue hair is Iris," Deuce said. "Her sister is Kira. They're our stepsisters."

"Where's Little Lace?" Gabriel asked.

"Here!" A girl with long, blonde, wavy pigtails and a strapless white and blue dress with a blue skirt came out. She had pink lipstick, eyeshadow, dangly cloud earrings, and a pink cloud necklace. "I was maybe or maybe not giving Jase a new hairdo!"

"Do not call me 'Jase.'" A huge male said. He had brown hair, a black tuxedo, ram horns, green eyes, and enormous muscles. He towered above his siblings. "My name is Jason."

"You got rid of it!" Lacie said, stomping her heeled foot.

"Oh, good lord," Gabriel shook his head.

Iris wasn't focused on the monsters in her squad. Instead, she tilted her head and looked directly at Deuce and his group.

"Uh...you see 'em too, right?"

"What?" Evangeline asked, looking where Iris was staring.

"She sees us!" Deuce yelled. "Iris!"

"They're right there."

"I can hear them," Ianthe said, looking around the area, "but I don't know where they are."

"Who?" Gwendolyn asked. At this point, everyone was facing the group. But none except Iris could see them.

"I can't tell. It's kinda...kinda looks like infrared."

"How many are there?" Madison asked. She leaned forward, as if she knew the answer, but didn't want to jump the gun.

"Um," Iris pointed out each one, mumbling as she counted. Finally, she said "Fourteen."

"DEUCE!" Madison yelled. She ran towards them only to be caught in Jason's grasp. "LLAMA! SETH! VIPERINE!" She looked at her half brother. "Let go of me!"

"Slow down there, tiger," Jason said.

"They're here?!" Gwendolyn cried.

"Where are they?!" Ashton exclaimed.

"You don't see them?" Iris asked.

"None of us do," Roxie answered. "It's that gift."

"Thank goodness it's useful then," Iris said with an eye roll. "We don't get visitors, and it's only ever been helpful once before."

"Hey, still more helpful than some of the other powers," Ashton said.

"Can you hear us?" Ianthe asked Deuce. "Put your hand as close to us as possible." Deuce put his hand on the invisible barrier, the wall cool against his palm. Ianthe put her hand on his on the opposite side of the wall.

"He's right here," Iris said. "His hand is on yours."

"Listen carefully," Madison said to the group. "Go to my memories. Pick out one for each of you, except Frankie, Jackson, and Abbey. Everyone else needs one. You need to find one with you in it. You need to remember me."

"We wiped everyone's memories clean years ago," Gabriel said, walking towards Ianthe. Even though he stood in front of the group, his eyes weren't facing them. "To protect Deuce. You need to get them back."

"We'll see you soon," Frankie said.

"A green ghoul said, 'We'll see you soon,'" Ianthe interpreted.

"I love you."

"Deuce loves us," Ianthe repeated.

Madison smiled.

"We love you too, Baby. Don't take too long," Madison said.

* * *

The team hurried to a row of doors on the left side. The first door had a demon design, a red skull doorknob, and a computer keyboard.

"Whose is this?" Frankie asked.

"Gwendolyn's," Deuce answered. To the right of Gwen's door, there was another. It had an angel design, a praying angel knob, and a computer keyboard.

"Gavin?" Clawdeen asked.

"Gabriel."

"'S what I meant." The door next to Gabriel's had a crow with a rainbow wing design. The knob was rainbow, and the lock was a computer keyboard.

"Kira or Iris?" Lamia asked.

"It's too dark to be Iris's." The next door had a satyr ghoul design. The knob was a bull, and the lock was a maze.

"Ashton?" Draculaura asked.

"Close," Deuce said. "Jason." The door next to Jason's had an origami crane colored with rainbow paint. The knob was rainbow stripes, and the lock needed to be pressed underneath to be opened.

"This is Iris'," Lamia said. The door to the right of Iris' had butterflies, flowers, a butterfly knob, and the same lock as Gwen's, Gabe's, and Kira's.

"Evangeline," Ghoulia groaned. There was a huge space- enough for another door- then a door to the right. It had a design with a gorgon on it, no knob, and a piano lock.

"This is Madison's," Cleo said.

"Can we look at the other doors first?" Draculaura asked. Deuce nodded. The next door had a snake made of red and black words. The lock was the same as Iris's, and the doorknob was a snake.

"I'd be darned if it wasn't Ianthe," Operetta said. The next door had a design of a satyr and a ghoul. The knob was a hand, and the lock was the same as Jason's.

"Ashton, is not?" Abbey asked.

"Yeah," Deuce nodded. The second to last door looked like a the door had been cracked, a piece had been taken out, and there were clouds inside. The knob was a gun, and the lock was the same as Ianthe's and Iris's.

"Leather or Lace?" Seth asked.

"Definitely Roxie," Deuce answered. The last door had a sun, pink flowers, a blue bird, a lock like the one to the left, and a knob that looked like a blue gem.

"And Lacie," Viperine said.

"We should get back to Maddie's door," Frankie said. They nodded and went back to about halfway down, where Madison's door was.

"Where's the knob?" Cleo asked.

"It looks like it only appears when the door is unlocked," Ghoulia moaned.

"We have to unlock it before the knob appears?" Jackson asked.

"The tiny piano could be the lock," Operetta offered.

"But what's the combo?" Draculaura asked.

"Maddie used to tell me that anyone can pick a lock," Deuce said. "She wanted a door that would only allow a key: The Key of E flat." Deuce played a scale on the little piano lock. It unlocked, and the knob appeared. Everyone cheered and walked in. There were rows and rows of memories on either side of the long hallway.

"Voltage..."

"Lot of memories," Abbey said.

"From when we were born to when she died," Deuce said. "Even if she doesn't remember, it's still here."

"So we have to go through _hundreds_ of these?!" Cleo groaned.

"No. Only some. We'll find them."

"Are you sure there's at least one for each of them?" Lamia asked.

"If there weren't, Maddie would've said so- like Jackson, Abbey, and Frankie," Deuce answered.

"Is it in order chronologically?" Seth asked.

"Such a big word for a little boy," Lamia teased.

"A little boy that's taller than you," Seth shot back. "By over a foot."

"Yeah, but pretty much everyone is taller than Lamia," Deuce pointed out.

"Hey!" Lamia said. "I'm only 5' 0''."

"Exactly," Seth laughed. "That's booster seat material." Lamia slapped his arm.

"What age should start?" Viperine said, anxious to change the subject and get a move on.

"We didn't move to America until we were five," Deuce shrugged.

"So we should probably move a little further down," Operetta offered.

"That'd be smart," Lamia said. Everyone walked down the hallway of memories. Before long, they noticed one of the doors was wrapped in chains with a padlock around it.

"Huh," Frankie said, grabbing the padlock. "Why is this one chained up?" She looked towards Deuce for answers, but he simply shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I've never actually been in here before."

"Can we open it?" Frankie asked.

"I will freeze it," Abbey said. She shot a stream of freezing air at the chains and padlock, and the whole rope of metal froze instantly. She raised her fist and smashed it into the ice, shattering the chains instantly. "Can enter now."

"Nice one, mate!" Lagoona said, kicking the chains out of the way so that nobody tripped on it. Frankie pushed open the door, and the team walked inside. The walls were white with arched windows and doorways, and the hardwood floors were cold underneath them. Pictures, portraits, plates, and other decorations lined the walls. A little girl, roughly two years old, was sitting at the wooden kitchen table. She played with the lacy, white tablecloth, embroidered with pink flowers that her grandmother had made when her parents got married. Her fingers brushed over the threads, dragging her fingertips along the small petals. She kicked her feet playfully, as she was too high up to touch the ground.

Frankie raised her eyebrow in curiosity as she looked around at the pictures on the walls. "Deuce," she said, turning her head to look at an antique vase on the floor in the corner. The little figures carved into the pottery told stories that she'd never heard before. "Do you recognize this place?"

Deuce nodded. "Yeah," he said. Behind his shades, his eyes were glued on the little girl at the table. "This was my childhood home in Aitoliko, Greece. It's where we lived before my parents divorced."

Clawdeen pointed at the girl swinging her feet and rubbing her fingers on the embroidered flowers. "Is that Madison?"

"Yeah."

"What is she doing?"

"I don't know. I think she's waiting."

Clawd walked over to the fridge and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. However, everything was in Greek, and he couldn't read the date. "For what?"

"I'm not sure," Deuce said. He looked around the house, running his hands along the wooden shelves that hung on the walls and the handmade blanket hanging over one of the chairs. It was bittersweet to be back in his old home. He had so many good memories here, but so many tainted ones as well.

"I don't understand why this memory would be locked up," Operetta said. "She's not doing anything."

The little girl, Madison, reached out towards the ceramic bowl in the middle of the kitchen table and grabbed a pomegranate out of it. Opening the fruit, she picked out the seeds with her fingers and ate them quietly. The ticking of the clock hanging on the wall was deafening compared to the rest of the house.

The group could hear shuffling upstairs, and as they turned to look, they saw a man walking down the stairs. He had a head of brown hair and bright green eyes that looked like they were dipped in toxic radiation. He walked towards Madison, who stared at him cautiously. She looked uncomfortable as she wriggled in her seat. Although she held half the pomegranate, she stopped eating from it.

"Where's Medusa?" the man asked sharply. He had an accent to his voice, but the group didn't recognize it.

"She's out," Madison answered. Her little voice was high-pitched and soft.

"Out, where?" he repeated.

She shrugged. "I don't know. She's not at work."

"I know she's not at work. It's a Saturday. Now, let me ask you one more time. Where is she?"

"I don't know," she said. "She leaved with Deuce. I don't know where they are."

The man grabbed her wrist, and she flinched hard. His fingers squeezed tight into her olive skin, leaving marks in the soft flesh.

"You do know where they are, don't you b*tch?" The toxic color of his eyes dripped into his cold glare, and Madison shivered. "She put you up to this!" He gripped her arm tighter. He leaned in so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Answer me!"

"No, Daddy! I really don't know!"

He flung the pomegranate across the table in anger. Some of the seeds spilled onto the floor. He cursed and yanked her off the chair, still holding onto her wrist like a lifeline. "I know exactly what's she doing. That whore is selling herself off again, isn't she? That f*cking slut. Isn't she? And she brought that little sh*t with her."

Madison looked up at him in fear. She didn't answer, making the man smirk.

"What? You don't know what that is?"

She didn't answer vocally. Instead, she shook her head slowly, the fear still deep in her shaded eyes.

The man pulled her away from the table by her wrist and dragged her up the flight of stairs. Madison was petrified out of her mind, but she followed him regardless, as not to make things worse. He dragged her to a small room at the end of the hallway, where there were two beds across from each other. Both beds had thick, white comforters, but one bed had a purple blanket, and the other had a red one. The room was bright and had many decorations on the wall and around the room. A handmade rug laid in the middle of the floor, its little tassels strewn on the hardwood floors. It was obvious that this bedroom belonged to a child, likely Deuce and Madison.

"It's better to learn early," he said, "especially since I know you'll be a whore, just like your mother."

He flung her onto her bed, the one with the purple blanket. She hit her head on the headboard and cried out. The man pushed his hand over her mouth, preventing her from crying out again. He used his other hand to push up the white dress she wore.

Frankie's stomach dropped. Her throat became tight, and her mouth became dry. She whipped her head around to look at the others. They all had varying looks of shock strewn onto their faces. Deuce's mouth was opened, his eyes glued to the man unbuttoning his pants above the toddler. He began hyperventilating as the scene unfolded.

Just as Madison screamed, Deuce snapped out it.

"We need to get out!" he yelled to the group. His eyes were wild with fear. The group didn't hesitate to bolt out of the memory, leaving the little girl alone and screaming as her father defiled her for the first time.

Jackson slammed the door to the memory shut as Deuce sat on the floor, bringing his knees to his chest. He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. His hands were shaking, and he couldn't get them to stop.

"That...that was a repressed memory," he said after several minutes. He glanced up towards the group. Their faces had looks of shock, sadness, and disgust displayed on them. "She didn't remember what happened the first time, only that it did." He looked down at his hands. They were still shaking. "I'm sure she remembers now that the chain is broken."

Seth put his hand on Deuce's shoulder and squeezed, trying to provide a bit of comfort to his cousin.

"Should...should we keep going?" Draculaura asked. She felt unsure, given the circumstances. She wanted to get this over with, but she didn't want to be rude and neglect the others' emotions either.

"Yeah, we probably should," Lamia said. Seth reached out his hand to help Deuce up, and they all walked back down the hallway. This time, they ignored the doors with chains on them.

Once they reached a certain point, Frankie stopped, and the rest of the group followed her action "Wanna try this one?" She opened the door, and everyone stepped in. An eight-year-old Madison and Deuce were sitting on their bed. Deuce had a guitar in his lap, and he was tuning it. Madison mindlessly hummed a tune as she drew something in a spiral notebook. Suddenly, Madison stopped humming, and she instead sang the lyrics.

"I'm getting a ribbon, so I can tie my snakes back," she said. She waved her hands at her face, trying to cool herself down. "It's hot in here."

"I think you left it in the bathroom," Deuce said. Madison groaned and smacked him with a throw pillow before heading to the bathroom. One of the entrances was connected to their room, so it made it easier. However, the door was locked.

"Huh, that's weird," Madison said, jiggling the doorknob. She left the bedroom and went down the hall to the bathroom's other entrance. That door was locked too. Madison knitted her eyebrows before going back to the bedroom. "Locked over there too."

"No one except us goes in there," Deuce said, sitting up. "Should we unlock it? Would that be weird?"

Madison put her ear to the door but only heard the sound of running water. She looked back at Deuce, who shrugged, before she turned back around and stared at the door. The gorgon picked up a bobby pin that she used for everything but her hair. She stuck it in the keyhole and picked the lock. The door unlocked, and Madison pushed it open. She immediately screamed, and Deuce stood up and ran to her. When he saw what she was looking at, he immediately felt nauseous. Marisa was leaning over the sink, blood pouring from holes in her skin that she picked at and caused to bleed. Her hair was pulled out in clumps and was scattered in the sink and along the tile floor. Blood gushed from her wrists, and a broken piece of mirror sat on the counter covered in blood, most likely used to cause the damage. A bong sat on the side. The sink was quickly filling up with the woman's blood, and she was shaking violently.

"Deuce, call the ambulance!" Madison screeched. She grabbed Marisa's wrists, and the human thrashed violently, trying to push her stepdaughter off of her. Everyone left the memory.

"Deuce, do you know any memories where you are _sure_ that at least one of them is there?" Viperine asked. "I don't think we need to scar them anymore than we already have."

"We've only been in two memories," Lamia said. "That's the worst part. If they get scarred by that..."

"The play!" Deuce exclaimed.

"The play?" Seth asked. Suddenly, it clicked. "Oh yeah!"

"Cleo, you were in it. Clawdeen, you helped with the outfits. Ghoulia, you helped write bits of it. Clawd, you walked into a practice after school," Deuce said.

"What play again?" Clawd asked.

"I don't remember what it was called. It was where Cleo was playing the new girl. There were two twins who caused chaos throughout the school, and the girl liked one of the twins. I know, that's really vague."

"I remember it!" Ghoulia moaned. "It was called something like _Behind the Mask_. That student-prouduced play!"

"We should find a backstage one," Lamia said. "That way, everyone is more likely to be in it."

"Good idea," Frankie said.

They all ran down the hall and went through a random memory. They saw a twelve-year-old Madison and Deuce sitting at two seats in the music room. Cleo sat alone, but she sat closer to the triplets-turned-twins than to the other students. There was also a group of nine students scattered around the classroom. All twelve students were talking to each other, some quietly and others shouting across the classroom. Suddenly, Ms. Wisp opened the door and walked in, two girls following behind her. A young Ghoulia sat in the front of the room, and a vampire girl sat next to her.

"Settle down," the teacher said, her soft, smooth voice surprisingly causing the loud students to quieten. Two men entered the classroom. The first had a brown trench coat, a beret, his face wrapped in bandages, and glasses. The other had shaggy brown hair, gold eyes, fur, and a blue dress shirt.

"Is that Mr. Where?" Clawdeen's jaw dropped.

"It is!" Operetta nodded.

"Alright, students!" The werewolf teacher, Mr. Moon, gave the room a large grin. Despite the sharp canines, his smile didn't come across as frightening. "I'm glad you all made it in time! This week, we have the drama teacher from Monster High to help us with the play."

"Good afternoon, everybody!" Mr. Where said as he bowed to the preteen students.

"The students in journalism who wrote the script are here as well," Mr. Moon said, motioning to Ghoulia and the vampire girl. Both shyly waved. "They're here to talk about the script changes and polish up any songs you have so far."

"Can you repeat the plot?" One of the students asked. She was a short werewolf with yellow skin and frizzy orange hair. She had birthmarks that looked like tattoos. On the inside of both arms, there were phases of the moon in order, and in the middle of her chest was a full moon. "I wasn't here the past two practices, and I honestly don't remember it too well."

"I'm glad you asked, Kiara," Mr. Moon said.

"Kiki," Kiara mumbled.

"It's about a girl named Natalie who is a new student at a public school," the vampire girl, whose name was Jordan, answered. "She quickly meets two students- a male and a female- who become her friends. She is talking to them in the hallway when she sees a pair of fraternal twins named Jay and Gretchen. Both are chaotic and are the antagonists of the school. They could be classified as bullies if you wanted to call them that. But Natalie falls head over heels for the Jay, the male twin, who is broken, corrupted by lust, and often teases her- albeit playfully. Jay initially tries to push her away and claims he and Gretchen share a secret. But he eventually begins falling for her as well. When this happens, Natalie's male friend- Kevin- goes after Jay, telling him to stay away from her, since he believes Jay's only after her because of lust. Jay and Kevin become enemies, and Kevin keeps trying to expose Jay's secret. However, towards the end of the play, Natalie sees a crowd of people circling around something, and when she goes to see what's happening, she sees Gretchen committed suicide. The students also find that Jay was put in jail for murder, and word spreads that Gretchen killed herself because of her brother's life sentence. Natalie sneaks out to see Jay, who reveals that the suicide was faked but the murder was real. Their father killed Gretchen, and Jay went after him and avenged his sister's death himself. He went back and made Gretchen's death look like a suicide. With Natalie's help, Jay sneaks out of jail, and they go off together."

"That sounds awesome," Thomas, a water monster, said, his Jamaican accent very noticeable.

"But what was their secret?" London, a swamp monster asked.

"Good question," Jordan said. "We were hoping you guys can give us some ideas." Deuce squirmed slightly, and Madison rolled her eyes.

"Do you have the characters' actors and actresses already planned?" a skeleton girl named Abigail asked. "I know you said last week that you wanted the choir kids to play them, since...well..."

"Since we can actually sing, and this is a musical," a vampire boy named Gavin said with a laugh.

"Good question," Jordan said. "We really want Cleo to play Natalie. And Deuce and Madison would be the twins, Jay and Gretchen, of course. Then, we thought Gavin could be Kevin. We don't know about the other friend. You might be a good fit, Gail." Jordan then looked at all of the students she just named. "That's, of course, if you're all up to it." They nodded, and Jordan grinned. "Perfect! Then, it's settled." Suddenly, a large, bulky student entered. He was a chupacabra, tall and muscular. His forehead was dripping in sweat, but he wiped it off with the back of his paw. He high-fived another student- who turned out to be Clawd- as he entered the room. Ms. Wisp crossed her arms.

"Football practice ended twenty minutes ago, Carlos!" She nagged. "Where were you?"

"We all had to stay after to run laps," Carlos answered. "One of the newbies got on Coach's nerves, and we all paid for it." He rolled his eyes. Ms. Wisp nodded and pointed to the seats, and Carlos sat down and pulled out a water bottle, sucking all the liquid out in one gulp.

"Deuce and Madison," Ms. Wisp said. Both perked up at hearing their names. "You're in charge of the music. Whatever character the song you're writing is for, I want the student playing the character to help you write it though."

"I want one song for Jay, one for Gretchen, one for Natalie, a duet between Jay and Gretchen, a duet between Jay and Natalie, a duet between Jay and Kevin, and possibly a few more for some of the supporting characters," Jordan said. "And maybe a song before and after the play if time allows it."

"Why so many songs for Jay?" Deuce asked. "Like, I'm flattered and all, but-"

"Your character is much bigger than you realize, Deuce," Ms. Wisp answered. Deuce nodded, leaned back in his seat, and whispered something to Maddie, who chuckled.

"Let's see some more of the backstage stuff," Operetta offered. Everyone nodded and left the memory. They headed a few doors down and entered another memory. Deuce, Madison, Cleo, Thomas, Gavin, Gail, and Brent- a ghost rider- were all in the chorus room with Ms. Wisp.

"We're going to a practice room!" Madison shouted to the teacher, who nodded. Deuce followed Madison to the room.

"Wait," Cleo said, stopping the triplets. "I'm not making the music, but can I stay?" Madison gave Deuce a knowing, teasing look, and he chuckled quietly.

"If you wish to," Madison answered. "Might be boring though." They continued to the practice room. Deuce shut the door as Madison sat in a plastic chair, and Cleo chose one across from her. Deuce grabbed one next to his sister and put a notebook on his lap. He pulled a pen out of his pocket, and the group sat in silence for a moment, not knowing what to say, especially since Cleo was there. "So, Deuce..." Madison said.

"Yeah?"

"Whose song are we working on first? Yours or mine?"

Deuce shrugged. "I don't care."

"You've got more. Let's do yours first." Madison leaned back into the chair and tapped a pen against her knee. "I want a song where it's your first impression to the crowd. The real you and not the act that you put up in the school. But you are still putting up a barrier; does that make sense?"

Deuce nodded. "Yeah, completely."

"Okay, good. So I'm thinking the first song with just you singing to Cleo. The one where she tries to find you at our hideout."

"So is this song more about-"

"I've got a secret," Madison interrupted. Deuce nodded.

"But I am still putting up that facade," Deuce said. "So I'm trying to cover it up by teasing Cleo."

"Exactly!" Madison smiled.

"So what's a good entrance?"

"Well, Mrs. Pharmacist, I insist, fix me up with something quick," Madison said.

"I've been a bad little boy," Deuce smirked, "and I think I'm getting sick." Madison laughed and smacked him.

"Oh gods."

"What?" He smirked. "Is there a problem?"

"You're going to lead this song in the wrong direction in the first verse."

"I don't see a problem."

"You wouldn't."

Deuce smiled and wrote down the lyrics before looking back up to his sister. "Sick to the bone." He grinned.

"Slave to the flesh," she said, returning the smile.

"Better put on my Sunday's best. I've been a bad little boy, little boy."

"Stop with that!" Madison shrieked, hitting his arm again.

"What? Why?" Deuce grinned. "My character, Jay, is supposed to be a horny bastard, and if this is how I want to portray him in the song, I can." Madison rolled her emerald eyes.

"I hope you remember that Ms. Wisp is listening to each song and saying whether she wants them in the play or not." Deuce shrugged.

"It'll be fine," he said. "She's never had a problem with our song lyrics before."

"A truly odd occurrence, if you ask me."

"I guess it's because she doesn't want to fix something that's not broken."

"If that's how you want to look at it."

"So the chorus?"

"I've got a dirty, little secret. And I'm not sure that I wanna keep it. So we feed ourselves lies to submit to the shadows. Cause we just wanna dance under our pretty perfect halos," Madison said.

"What if we repeat some of the lyrics?" Deuce offered, tapping his chin with the pen.

"What do you mean?"

"I've got a dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty little secret. And I'm not, not, not sure that I wanna keep it. So we feed ourselves lies to submit to the shadows. Cause we just wanna dance under our pretty perfect halos."

Cleo smiled. "I really like that," the mummy said. Madison grinned, and Deuce wrote everything up to that point down in a notebook.

"Everyone's got a secret," he said.

"What's yours? What's yours?"

"Don't be shy; I'll never repeat it."

"That's so perfect!" Madison squealed. Deuce nodded and continued to write.

"Alright," he said, "I've got this." He hid a smile. "Oh, Mrs. Pharmacist, if I resist, lock me up and bind my wrists. You've been a bad little girl, little girl."

"You need to stop!" Madison said.

"Close your eyes and listen close. I know just how much you love it," he said seductively.

"Kinky bastard."

Deuce laughed and shrugged before continuing. "The next is the best line though!"

Madison sighed. "Fine. What is it?"

"If you speak, you lose your turn. So shut your mouth before I f*ck it." Madison bust out laughing and stood up out of her chair.

"I can't with you!"

"Hey, that was clever; you have to admit."

Madison rolled her eyes. "I'm not admitting that."

"Can we write it, at least?"

"NO!"

"What? Why not?"

"Deuce!"

"Okay, okay!" Deuce grinned. "But I'm holding the pen and paper." Madison lunged at her brother, who pulled the pen and paper further away from her and quickly wrote it down.

"NO!"

"Ha. It's in pen. Can't change it now." Madison flicked him off, but Deuce just laughed.

"Chorus," Madison said. "I've got a dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty little secret. And I'm not, not, not sure that I wanna keep it. So we feed ourselves lies to submit to the shadows. Cause we just wanna dance under our pretty perfect halos."

"Change it up," Deuce said.

"Everyone's got a secret. Tell me all about yours."

Deuce nodded in approval before he wrote it down. "Love. Hate. Oh, how we play the game. Cold. Soul. No sense of self control. Love. Hate. Unsure to pass or play. Cold soul. Now, we're out of control."

"Roses are red, and my heart is black. We creep about the floor to indulge like rats."

"Oh, look at you being a little poet."

"Hell yeah," she grinned. "Enraptured, we walk to nurse our obsession. Cause the roles that we play are paved with cruel intentions."

"Well, Mrs. Pharmacist...If you insist," he said sensually.

"Deuce!"

"Okay, that's the last one! I promise."

"You better keep it." Madison glared at him as he wrote everything up to that point down. "I've got a dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty little secret. And I'm not, not, not sure that I wanna keep it. So we feed ourselves lies to submit to the shadows."

"And I just wanna shake you by your little perfect f*cking halo."

"Ooh, I like that." Madison smiled.

"Everyone's got a secret. What's yours? What's yours? Don't be shy; I'll never repeat it."

"Perfect," Madison said. Deuce finished writing the lyrics before looking up at Madison.

"What should be the name?" Madison thought for a moment.

"Shadows?"

"Nah, what about about Halos?"

"No, that's even worse." Madison tapped her chin. "Mrs. Pharmacist?"

"Absolutely not."

"Um, what about Rats?" Cleo offered. Deuce and Madison looked at her as she continued. "You used that in there."

Madison clapped and pointed at her. "There we go! There's a title!"

"I'm good with that," Deuce smiled, writing it down in the header of the page. "First song done."

"We should go to another memory," Seth said. "I don't think much will change from here." Deuce nodded. They left the memory and went down the hall before stopping at another. Madison and Deuce were sitting in the practice room again.

"I have 'Ride' stuck in my head," Madison said as she pulled a french horn onto her lap. "So if I start humming random parts, it's fine."

"Wait," Deuce commented, "by Samuel Hazo?" Madison nodded. "Alright then."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Madison slammed her hand on a table.

"One! Two-e-and, three-and-a, four-and-a, one-and-a, two-and!" She sang quickly. "Bummmmmm bummmm bummmmm bummmmmm!" Deuce chuckled.

Someone banged on the wall, and they heard Seth asked, "Madison?" It sounded like he was holding his nose with his index finger and thumb.

"Yes?"

"How do you get a tampon out of your nose?" Deuce choked on his water.

"What?!" he laughed.

Madison joined in with the laughter, and she called, "Pull on the string!"

"What string?!" Seth squeaked. The door opened, and Lamia walked in, her black mambas hissing madly.

"What did you do?' Deuce asked.

"Seth!" Lamia called. Tentatively, Seth walked into the practice room, which suddenly erupted in laughter. Viperine shook her head as she followed behind Seth.

"Oh my gods," Madison chuckled.

"Oh, dude!" Deuce laughed. "What happened?!" Seth glared at Lamia, who looked away and bit her lip.

"Ask this one."

"I was showing him how to get a yeast infection."

"I'm pretty sure you can't get yeast infection in your nose," Madison said, walking over to Seth.

Lamia shrugged. "I know you can get it in your-"

"Don't say it!"

"Vagina."

"And you said it." Madison rolled her eyes.

"Not that I know much about this," Deuce said, "but isn't it Toxic Shock Syndrome that's caused by tampons?"

"Yep," Madison said.

"Just shut the f*ck up and help me get this out of my nose!" Seth panicked.

"Alright, alright!" Madison said, grabbing a very tiny string. "Don't get your panties in a bunch." She pulled on the string, but the tampon refused to budge.

"F*ck, Maddie!" Seth screeched.

"Been there," Madison said. She yanked on the string. "Done that."

"What?" Viperine asked. "I'm confused."

"F*ck Maddie. She's saying she's been f*cked," Lamia clarified.

"Pretty much everyone knows I'm not a virgin," Madison said. "It's why I get all my lovely nicknames." She pulled on the string again.

"Isn't it touchy?"

"Depends on the moment." She pulled harder.

"Ow! Be gentle!"

"Lamia, how far did you put this up his nose? I can barely get the string." She continued to pull on the string. She then pushed his head back with her right hand and pulled the string with her left. "By the way, I've never used one of these before, so I'm not completely sure."

"Believe me," Seth groaned. "That's the least of my issues." He glared at Lamia.

"It's stuck," Madison said finally.

"Oh gods!" Deuce laughed harder.

"Get out of the way," Lamia said. Madison stepped back, and Lamia stood in front of Seth. "This won't hurt, uh...too bad."

"No. No, no, no! Lamia, don't-" Lamia yanked on the string extremely hard, causing the tampon to come out and Seth to scream a high-pitched scream. Seth's nose started bleeding violently. He cupped his hand over his nose.

"F*ck, Lamia!"

"Want it back?" Lamia asked.

"NO!"

"It's a good time to have it now that you're bleeding," Lamia shrugged.

"F*ck you."

"Already have."

"What?!" Viperine squeaked.

"It's called a dildo," Lamia said.

"TMI, Llama!" Viperine squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands over her ears.

"Oh, but when Maddie-"

"Well, mine's forced," Madison said. "You _choose_ to."

"Slut-shamer."

"Um," Deuce chuckled, "I'll take Seth to the bathroom."

"Oh gods," Seth said, still cupping his hands under his nose. "I will get you back, Llama!" The boys leave the practice room. Almost immediately, a panicked teacher rushed into the chorus room.

"Is everything okay? I heard a little ghoul scream." The teacher saw Lamia holding the bloody tampon. "Uh...I think I'll leave." She immediately left the room without a word, and Seth and Deuce come back. Seth held toilet paper under his nose to stop the bleeding, and Deuce bit his bottom lip to hold in the laughter.

"A teacher thought a little ghoul screamed, Seth," Viperine said. "That must really say something."

"Shut up," Seth said. "I'm already pissed."

"Ready to leave this memory?" Frankie asked.

"I know I am," Seth grumbled.

"Alright, let's go," Deuce said. They left the memory. "Where do you want to go next?"

Suddenly, a small, yellow light flickered next to Abbey's head. The yeti swatted at it, but it didn't leave, as it was a light and not an insect. It floated down the hallway and went closer to the door the group entered from. Frankie ran after the light. Seth shrugged, and the group ran after her. They stopped at a doorway that the light halted at. The light disappeared. Deuce grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. He pushed the door open slowly and walked into the memory. Suddenly, he stopped. Frozen in his place. They looked around at what appeared to be a living room.

"Wasn't this your house from the old memory?" Jackson asked. Deuce nodded.

Two-year-old Madison and Deuce sat on the couch staring at the television. Madison kicked the cushion below her as Deuce laid upside-down and hugged a throw pillow close to his chest. The news repeated the same eight stories, but the kids watched it with fascination. Sounds of slams and crashes were heard from the kitchen, but they paid it no attention.

Suddenly, Mark stormed into the living room. "I work all godd*mn day," he grumbled. "Bills everywhere. Floors are a disgrace. No food. What does your mother do all day? Where do her checks go?" Mark slammed a beer can on the coffee table and took a seat next to Madison, who tensed up immediately and stopped kicking the cushion. Deuce sat upright, but he refused to loosen his grip on the pillow. Mark put his head in his hand, reluctantly trying to rid himself of the pounding headache and hangover. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Mark cursed and got up, walking to the front door. He swung the door open, but upon opening it, he almost shut it. Deuce paled immediately, to which Seth took note of.

"You okay?"

"I don't want to be here for this memory."

"Which memory is it?"

"Lacie."

Seth looked at his cousin with anxiety and sympathy in his pewter eyes.

A pale, slender woman with long, platinum blonde hair and brown eyes stood at the door. She wore a white sundress that flowed in the wind. She held two, blonde girls who were roughly the same age as Deuce and Madison. One had long hair that was put into two pigtails. The other had short, choppy hair. Both had green eyes.

"Isn't that Roxie and Lacie?" Clawdeen asked.

"The twins?" Draculaura asked.

"And their mum?" Abbey added. Deuce nodded.

"I thought Roxie had black hair," Clawd asked.

"She dyed it," Deuce clarified. "She hated having blonde hair. Wanted to look less like Lacie."

"F*ck, you're here," Mark groaned.

"Don't look so happy to see me," the woman- Ziarre- snapped. She put the girls to their feet, and they scurried inside to sit next to Deuce and Madison on the couch. Lacie poked a scrape on Deuce's hand. "They did a test. They're yours. Just like I said." Mark turned to look at the four children, trying to wrap his mind around the thought. He stared at them for a moment before turning back to Ziarre.

"Get them away from here."

"Why should I?" Ziarre snorted. "They're not just mine. They're yours too."

"You better be f*cking glad my wife isn't home," Mark hissed.

"That's not my problem, now, is it?"

"And they aren't my problem either!" Mark screeched. The children stopped moving to stare at the adults. "Now, I'll tell you again. Get them away from my godd*mn house. Or I'll give you a reason to never bring them back."

"No."

Anger boiled through Mark's veins. He slammed the door shut, leaving Ziarre outside and leaving the children in confusion. Ziarre pounded on the door as Mark walked over to the children, who pushed themselves further and further back into the couch's cushions. He grabbed Lacie by her one of the pigtails and yanked her towards him. She screeched as he picked her up. She clawed at his face, and he continued to carry her to the kitchen, where he grabbed matches and lighter fluid from the top shelf of one of the cabinets. Roxie, Madison, and Deuce chased after their father and grabbed onto his pant leg in an attempt to stop him. He merely kicked them off him before heading to the backyard, with the three other children running behind. Lacie scratched at Mark's face and tugged on his hair before he dropped the young child on the dirt ground.

Smashing his foot into her leg, he pulled her leg up until it snapped. Lacie shrieked in pain. She tried to get away, but her leg was broken. She couldn't move. He poured lighter fluid on her as she tried to stand, to no avail. He stomped on her stomach, leaving her to curl up in a ball and unable to fight back. The other children tried to fight off their father, but he pushed them to the side as if they meant nothing to him. Mark lit on of the matches, and Lacie's meadow green eyes widened in fright.

"What are you doing?!" She cried.

"Covering my tracks." He tossed the match on her. She lit up quickly and screamed in agony as the flames licked her skin, which was quickly turning charcoal black. Her long hair only added to the fuel, the golden strands turning black as night. Blisters bubbled up onto her skin. The smell of burning flesh spread through the air as Mark went inside the house without looking back. It didn't take long for her body to burn. Deuce cried, and Madison paled a ghostly white. Roxie screamed, falling to the ground on her knees. She pounded on the earth with her small fists as storm clouds rapidly appeared in the sky, blanketing the area with a layer of gray-green. Lightning shot from the clouds as Roxie continued to scream. Rain poured out of the clouds to match her eyes. A tornado appeared as well, and the leaves on the ground were caught in it.

"Uh...ghouls?" Frankie asked.

The rain put out the fire that was swallowing Lacie's body. The three children raced towards Lacie's body, which was burnt with third-degree burns. Blisters and peeling skin were evident on every inch.

"Lacie!" Roxie screamed. She gently shook her dead twin by her shoulders. "Lace!" She shook her harder. "Why won't you wake up?! Lacie! Wake up!"

Deuce turned away, sobbing uncontrollably as his face turned red. His breathing was staggered and shaky. Cleo put her hand on his shoulder, and Seth grabbed his wrist, tracing circles on his cousin's skin with his thumb. Frankie, Draculaura, and Lagoona cried as well.

"It's so sad how Roxie thinks Lacie's only sleeping," Frankie murmured.

"I need to leave," Deuce cried. "I need to get out of here."

"We all should," Lamia said, uncharacteristically solemn and quiet. Everyone stepped out of the memory. The same light appeared.

"Should we take it?" Jackson asked.

"I say we should," Ghoulia moaned.

"I agree with Ghoulia," Operetta said. "We should see."

They all followed the light to a little ways down the hall before stopping. Deuce wiped his eyes before turning the doorknob. The memory started at the living room from the house they visited upon starting the project. Yet, it was different than they'd remembered. It seemed cleaner in the memory, although it still wasn't _clean_. Five-year-old Madison laid on her side on the hardwood floors, and Deuce was on his back. Kira laid next to Deuce, her right arm twisted at an unnatural angle, and Iris cowered in the corner of the living room. Roxie, whose naturally blonde hair was now dyed black, was between Deuce and Madison, rolled up into fetal position as if she were protecting her ribs. Mark paced around the room, muttering curses and incoherent mumbles. Suddenly, he yelled something incomprehensible and kicked Madison, knocking her onto her stomach. Suddenly, he stopped pacing.

Mark looked down at the five children on the floor. "F*ck..." he muttered, running a hand through his greasy hair. "This is what f*cking happens when they drop off their godd*mn kids at my house." He grabbed Roxie by her arm and yanked her up. "More mouths to feed." She kicked aimlessly, but to no avail. "And yet, what does she f*cking expect?" He grabbed his daughter's face, making her look towards him. "Does Ziarre not give a sh*t anymore? Is that why she just drops you here and lets me clean up her messes like usual." Roxie glared at him. "Well, f*ck, if that's the case..."

He turned towards Marisa, who sat on the couch, halfway watching the scene unfold before her and halfway watching the static-filled television. "Risa," Mark said. His second wife looked up at him, her dark blue eyes boring into his green. "The rope." She simply nodded before getting off the couch and heading into the garage. After a few moments, Marisa returned with a rope and tossed it to Mark before settling herself back into the couch cushions, facing the TV. Mark tied the rope into a noose and hung it on one of the living room fan's blades.

Seth looked towards Deuce, whose hands were clammy and clenched into fists. He shook badly. "Deuce, are you okay?"

Deuce tore his eyes away from the memory he tried to forget. "Not in the least bit," he admitted. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Mark twisted his grip to Roxie's neck, pushing her up against the wall. Madison noticed and tried getting up, but Marisa got off the couch and pushed on her, holding down her wrists with her arms. Madison struggled against her stepmother's grip, but she continued staring at her half sister. Mark pushed the noose down Roxie's head and to her neck. He pushed her, letting go, and she was caught by her neck on the rope.

But her neck didn't snap automatically. Instead, the oxygen going to her brains was immediately cut short. The veins and arteries were blocked, and oxygen stopped flowing. As brain ischemia occurred, her brain began swelling, and her heart rate and blood pressure quickly plummeted. Blood pooled under her skin as her skin turned pale and sickly, veins and capillaries becoming more evident. The noose crushed her trachea, and she was slowly asphyxiating. It was just a matter of which organ gave out first: her brain, her heart, or her lungs. Blood from carotids had nowhere to go, building pressure. Suddenly, the capillaries in her face and her eyes burst. Madison screamed as Roxie's eyes burst from her skull and blood pooled uncontrollably. Deuce paled instantly. Kira covered her own eyes, which felt as if they were stinging. Iris felt nauseous as she too closed her eyes. Then Roxie lost herself. She quit trying. She quit fighting. She gave up and hung limp, dangling from the rope.

Without a word, Mark cut the rope. He left the living room, and Marisa got off Madison and followed suit. Madison ran to Roxie, followed by Deuce and their stepsisters. Madison laid Roxie's head in her lap, tracing her eye sockets and coating her fingers in her sister's blood. Suddenly, she screamed. The walls shook as Madison buried her face in Roxie's shoulder, screaming louder as tears swelled from her eyes.

"We should, uh, leave this one too," Operetta said, barely loud enough for the others to hear. They wordlessly nodded and left the memory, shutting the door behind them. Deuce crumbled and sunk to the floor, shaking and sobbing. Seth knelt in front of him before turning to look at the others.

"I'm gonna stay here with Deuce," he said. "You check out the other memories." Frankie nodded, and Cleo grabbed Deuce's hand, squeezed it, and let go before folllowing the others, who were already after the light. The light stopped and disappeared, and they entered the next memory. It began in Madison and Deuce's bedroom. Six-year-old Madison sat on the side of the bed, and Evangeline laid down beside her. The fairy's face was flushed and sweaty, and her lips were dry and cracked. Madison stroked her blonde curls as Evangeline panted, her head lolling to the side ever-so-slightly.

The bedroom door opened, and Deuce stepped in with a glass of water. He gave Evangeline the cup, guiding it to her mouth and helping her drink. "What's happening?" Deuce asked, settling beside his sisters and still keeping a hand on the cup. "Anything besides the fever and nauseousness?"

"She's weak, confused, and her neck is stiff," Madison answered, looking up at her brother. "And I'm pretty sure that last one's worse than it sounds." Deuce nodded and put the cup on the dresser. He grabbed the fairy's clammy hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back, but it was weak.

"And the antibiotics aren't helping?"

"Nope. Gods, I don't know what to do anymore."

Suddenly, Evangeline started shaking. Her green eyes became unfocused. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

"Oh sh*t!" Deuce shrieked. He looked up at Madison, his emerald eyes wide. "Call an ambulance." She nodded quickly and ran off. Deuce cradled Evangeline to his chest. "It's okay, Evangeline. Everything's going to be okay." He gently kissed her forehead, eliciting a smile from her. Until she stopped breathing. He squeezed her hand again, but this time, she didn't squeeze back. Her hand became limp, and Deuce shook it but received no answer. "Evangeline..." Deuce whispered. "Evangeline!" He shook her hand harder, but he still received no response. "Madison!"

Madison hurried back into the room and immediately dropped the phone, racing over towards the dead fairy.

"She's gone!" Deuce said quietly.

Then something snapped.

He stood up, letting go of Evangeline. "Dad killed her! Just like he did to Roxie and Lacie!" He punched the wall, and a hole formed, pieces of the house crumbling like pieces of a broken cracker. Madison grabbed Deuce's raised fist and brought it down beside him. He screamed again and crumbled to the ground, sobbing violently. She sat beside him, pushing his snakes back away from his red face.

"It's okay. She's safe...Food poisoning...She was just sick," Madison said, trying to be as calm as possible even though her voice shook with each word. "No pain she hasn't already felt before."

"Let's leave," Jackson said hurriedly. Everyone left the memory. The light shone once more, so after following it, they stopped at another memory. Six-year-old Madison, Deuce, Iris, and Kira were all on the roof of a building with Marisa. Marisa dragged Iris by her blue, wavy hair, and everyone else followed the duo, attempting to stop her.

"I gave you way too many f*cking chances," Marisa said, her voice tight in anger. "I gave you one simple task. And for what?" She twisted her grip tighter, and Iris let out a shriek as Marisa pulled harder. "You to somehow manage to f*ck it up!" She yanked her daughter to the ground, and the blue-haired beauty fell to her knees. "How do you manage to lose it? Fourteen hundred dollars worth of coke. Down the drain. All because you, PIECE OF SH*T!" Marisa jerked Iris again, and this time, she pulled her off the roof and gripped her wrists, letting her dangle off the side of the building. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT'S GOING TO TAKE TO GET BACK?"

"I'm sorry!" Iris apologized profusely, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it! I promise, it was an accident!" Her cheeks were soaked in tears, and her hands were sweaty in fear. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"I don't want to f*cking hear it." Marisa let go.

Iris screamed as she plummeted stories to the bottom. She hit the ground, and no other noise was made. As Marisa got off the roof, Kira dove to the edge. She pulled a strand of Iris's blue hair that was caught in the gutter. She leaned over and saw Iris lay unmoving on the ground. She cried, her tears dripping off the roof like rain. Deuce and Madison went beside her. Deuce's jaw dropped as he paled, and Madison fell to her knees.

"IRIS!" Kira screeched, her usual quiet monotone replaced by a banshee shriek. Without a word, everyone left the memory.

"How many more of these are there?" Frankie asked, rubbing her arms to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.

"Five," Ghoulia moaned.

"Five more!" Clawdeen groaned. "I'm not gonna last." They walked towards the next memory and opened the door. The memory began in the bedroom. Seven-year-old Kira, Madison, and Deuce laid on the bed. All three were skinny as skeletons. Their bones were weak, their muscles had shrunken immensely, and their immune systems had diminished greatly. Their skin was thin, stretched over their bones uncomfortably. None of them had eaten for weeks, and after days and days of becoming weaker, heart attacks, and organ failure slowly occurring, they had nothing left to do but sit and enjoy each other's company. Madison braided Kira's thinning hair into an elaborate braid. Deuce traced shapes on Madison's leg as Kira mindlessly flipped through the novel she had in her lap. Suddenly, Kira smiled.

"What's wrong?" Madison asked, her weak voice shaking with each word. She finger-combed the braid out of her stepsister's straight, brown hair. Kira shook her head.

"Nothing. I feel good." Madison raised an eyebrow. "No, really," Kira said, "I feel good. Almost at peace. Like a euphoria." With every sentence fragment, she took a deep breath, trying to take in as much oxygen as humanly possible. "It feels...nice." Kira closed the book and reached over Deuce to put it on the nightstand. She laid down and nestled into the bed, closing her eyes to sleep. After a few moments, her breath became steady. Soon after, neither Gorgon heard her breathing. Deuce looked over at his stepsister as Madison put her hand on Kira's chest. Then neck. Then wrist. When she couldn't find a heartbeat or a pulse, she began to panic.

"Deuce! Deuce! Deuce!" Madison began hyperventilating, and Deuce quickly put his finger on Kira's neck, trying to find her pulse, but to no avail.

"F*ck, Kira!" He yelled. Her head lolled to the side. Madison put her face in her stepsister's hair and cried, but Deuce cried out in the open, pulling his knees up to his face.

"She starved, didn't she?" Clawd asked. Lamia nodded.

"Marisa and Mark wiped all the food out of the house. There was nothing they could do."

"We're just seeing all of the half siblings' deaths..." Jackson mumbled. "That's why that light keeps leading us to specific memories."

"I really don't want to," Clawdeen mumbled.

"For the project," Abbey said sternly. "Need much information. This helps. Shut mouth."

Everyone left the memory. The light appeared a little bit down the hallway, but not too far. They went to the memory and walked through the door. The memory began at a bridge over a lake, and Mark's old car sped over it. Gwendolyn sat in the passenger seat, crushed against the door in an effort to keep her distance from her father. Deuce, Madison, and Gabriel were in the second row, and Ashton, Jason, and Caleen were in the way back in the third row. They were all eight years old. Caleen's head was hanging out of the window, and her long, caramel pigtails flew behind her. All the kids were tied up to keep from escaping as Mark took another swig of his beer. As soon as he stopped focusing on the road, the car flipped over the bridge. Everyone screamed except Mark. The car landed upside down in the lake, but the windows and windshield both broke.

"I know what's going to happen," Draculaura mumbled. Everyone was split up, divided among the water. Deuce found a sharp rock buried in the sand and used it to cut his rope, freeing his hands. He dug the stone up and quickly swam up out of the lake, taking a gulp of air in before diving back down. He swam until he found Ashton, whose horns were tangled in an old fishing net someone threw in the lake. Deuce cut the rope and net, freeing Ashton. They both swam and found Madison, whose snakes tried to bite off the rope. Deuce cut her rope and freed her, and she took the stone from Deuce and swam to the left to cut Gwendolyn's rope. Both swam back. Everyone swam to Jason, who was fighting against the water. They cut his rope, then Caleen's.

When they found Gabriel, however, he was already dead. His rope was caught on a large rock, and his body swayed within the water, moving with the currents. Deuce's cut his ropes, and he and Jason dragged him to the surface. They swam to shore, one of Gabriel's arms around each brother's neck. They laid him on the grass before everyone settled around him in a circle. Gabriel's eyes were glassy and empty, unable to focus. The family hadn't just lost another sibling. They lost their light in the dark, the shining smile at whatever moment, and the peace in any situation.

"Gabriel..." Madison whispered hoarsely. She stuck out a hand to stroke his caramel bangs from underneath his halo, which had lost its usual gold, bright vibrance. Instead, his halo was a dull brown like wilted sunflowers.

"We took too long," Gwendolyn said, her obvious anger towards herself apparent in her tone. Madison buried her face into her twin brother's chest and cried. Deuce nuzzled his face into her snakes and sobbed with her. Ashton wiped tears off his cheeks, Caleen had her face in the soil while she sobbed, and Jason and Gwendolyn tried to act as if they weren't crying. "I will murder that bastar-"

"Where is Mark anyway?" Jason interrupted, looking around to take his eyes off of his dead brother. Ashton pointed to a figure running away from the lake. Jason scoffed. "Pig." Madison brushed Gabriel's caramel bangs with her fingers. Gwendolyn ran her fingertips over her brother's eyelids and closed his open eyes.

"We should leave this one too," Frankie said. Everyone left the memory and headed toward another lit one. An eight-year-old Madison, Deuce, and Gwendolyn stood in the basement of the Jaynes' house. Mark held a gun at the trio.

"Oh Ra," Cleo said.

"This probably isn't going to end well," Jackson said.

"Get out of the godd*mn way, Gwendolyn," Mark said. "I'm not trying to aim for you. We both know that." He cocked the gun.

"Are you honestly low enough to kill six of your children?" Gwendolyn scoffed, her voice snarky yet protective.

Mark shrugged. "Doesn't bother me as much as you think it does."

"Go to hell."

"That's your job," Mark growled. Gwen closed her eyes and tried steadying her breath. But she refused to move. "Now, you have one more chance. Stop trying to be a hero, Gwendolyn. Monsters can't be, especially demons."

"I'm not being a hero."

She opened her eyes.

"I'm being a good sister."

Mark grinned sadistically. "That's cute. Too bad you weren't good enough."

Mark aimed the gun at Deuce and pulled the trigger. Almost immediately as his finger pulled it, Gwendolyn stepped in front of Deuce and pushed him out of the way. He fell onto the concrete as the bullet hit Gwendolyn in the temple. She almost toppled to the floor, but Madison caught her instantly. Mark left the basement and locked the door behind him.

"Gwendolyn!" Madison screamed. She cried, tears falling onto Gwendolyn's cheeks and sizzling as they touched her hot, red-tinted skin. Deuce put his head on dead Gwendolyn's stomach. He cried, letting his tears drip onto her shirt. Madison rubbed his back, and she cried along with him.

"You're so stupid, Gwen," Deuce cried affectionately. He put his fingers to her temple, where slippery, black blood oozed out like oil from a spill.

"I can't believe...It's so sad that so many young children died," Lagoona said, wiping her teary eyes. "Lacie died when she was two! She was only a little joey. They were all little joeys."

"Lagoona...?" Frankie said quietly.

"Should leave. Don't want to see more blood," Abbey said, lowering her head sadly.

"Abbey's right. We shouldn't be here any longer than we have to- at least not for these memories," Clawd said.

Everyone left the memory. The light went on again and led them to another door. Jackson opened it, and this time, nine-year-old Jason, Ashton, Deuce, and Maddie were in the living room. Each had thick, silver tape on their mouths, as to not notify the neighbors. They were all laying on the floor in pain. Marisa tapped her chin as she stood next to her second husband.

"I say the blonde one goes," she said simply. Ashton's eyes widened, along with everyone else's.

"So they're just picking which ones get to stay and which are forced to leave?!" Clawd yelled.

"Unfortunately," Viperine sighed.

"That's not fair at all!" Clawdeen said, anger making her northern accent become even more apparent.

"You've seen seven kids die, all under nine years old, and _now_ you think it's unfair?!" Lamia said.

"She knew it was unfair before," Frankie said. "It just hits harder when you hear how careless they are."

Marisa tossed Mark a pillow, which he caught with his right hand. He ripped the tape off of Ashton's mouth, evicting a scream from the blonde boy. Mark replaced the tape with the pillow, pushing the cushion further into his face. He blocked the air from his mouth and nose, suffocating the nine-year-old.

Madison, Deuce, and Jason screamed under their tape. Jason thrashed, trying to get his father to stop. He reached out and grabbed Mark's leg, tripping him. Marisa got on top of Jason, sitting on his stomach and grabbing his wrists. She held a knife up to his throat, slicing it just enough to let a thin line of blood pool out.

Ashton's eyes rolled to the back of his head as his lungs burned from loss of oxygen. His face turned purple, and suddenly, he was gone. Marisa stood up, getting off of the satyr. Jason tried to lunge at Mark, but Deuce and Madison each held one of his arms, holding him back. Once Mark and Marisa left, the two makeshift bodyguards let go of Jason's wrists. He fell onto his knees, grabbing his dead brother's icy hand. He started sobbing instantly.

Deuce and Madison gave each other a look of sorrow and pain. Jason _never_ cried.

"Ashton!" Jason shrieked. He shook his brother's shoulders, but Ashton didn't move. "Ashton!"

Deuce lugged himself off the floor to sit beside Jason, resting a hand on the satyr's back. "Jason, it'll be okay," Deuce said, trying to hold back his own tears.

"NO!" Jason screamed, turning around to face the gorgon. "No, it won't! It won't be okay! It'll never be okay! He's dead! Gone!"

"He's with the others right now," Madison said, sitting on the other side of Jason. Tears streamed down her cheeks silently, almost gracefully. "Doesn't that make you feel a little bit better?"

"No," Jason snapped. "He's supposed to be here. With us!"

"Jason-"

"NO!" Jason interrupted Deuce. "Just shut up! You don't know what it's like to lose a sibling!"

"Yes, we do," Madison said, hurt becoming evident in her voice.

"Half siblings don't count. It doesn't feel the same."

"We lost Ianthe," Deuce pointed out.

"When she was like, what? A month old?! And never even born to begin with?"

"Three months," Madison corrected.

"Doesn't matter," Jason said. He put his face in his knees and wrapped his arms around them. He formed fists out of his sweaty hands. "It's not like you even remember her anyway! You never even met her! Three months..."

"Just calm down," Madison said. "Jason, it's okay. He's safe now. He's free from Mark." Madison hugged Jason, who put his head on her shoulder, crying softly.

"This is so wrong," Lagoona said.

"Madison and Deuce would always say he took it the worst," Viperine said, barely more than a whisper. "He struggled after Ashton died." He looked down. "It wasn't until after Madison died that we realized that he wasn't the worst. Deuce was way worse off."

Everyone left the memory and headed into another one. The memory began in the living room.

"Well, not here again!" Operetta sighed.

"Ghoulia," Clawd said, "are you still recording?" She nodded. "Good. I wasn't sure if you stopped." Eleven-year-old Madison, Deuce, and Jason were on the floor. Mark kicked Jason to the side, and he let out a groan. Marisa put her hand on Mark's arm.

"I know a bit of handiwork," she said. "Especially using electricity."

As if on cue, Frankie sparked.

"That's never a good sign if she's good at something besides picking flowers and taking drugs," Deuce whispered to his siblings. The other two smiled but did so covertly. Marisa pulled out a wire and hooked it up to the outlet. Mark took the attached wire from Marisa and tied another wire around Jason's muscular bicep. His eyes widened, fear laced behind them. Mark connected the two wires, sending a shock through the wires.

Instantly, Jason was electrocuted. He convulsed and yelled, his voice cracking and his body shaking uncontrollably. Mark removed the wires for a second, giving Jason a chance to breathe. Only to put them directly back on. He did this a few times. When Mark removed the wires for the last time, Jason slumped forward, dead and cold to the touch. Deuce and Madison cried while Mark and Marisa left the triplets-turned-twins to get rid of the body like usual.

"This is so awful!" Lagoona shrieked, running out of the memory. Frankie chased after her, and the rest of the group followed. They chased her down all the way to the area where Deuce and Seth were sitting. Deuce's face was a bit pink, but he was calmed down and his tears were dried. Lagoona, however, was a crying mess.

"We're going to the memories in the diary," Lamia said to her brother and cousin. "You coming?"

Deuce nodded. "Yeah, I'll go." He nudged Lagoona gently. "Do you want to come, or do you need a minute?"

"How...how could you live like this?" she shrieked, ignoring his question. He gave her a sad look and put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he whispered to her. "I know it hurts."

"It isn't fair," she said, shaking her head.

"We have good memories too," Deuce offered. "Do you want to see a funny one next?"

Lagoona sniffled and nodded slowly. Deuce smiled and stood up, sticking out a hand to pull his saltwater friend up. Everyone headed towards a random memory. Deuce stuck his head into the doorframe for a few seconds before closing it.

"Not this one," he said. "Let me find another for her." He opened three other doors before laughing out loud. "I found one you'll like!"

Everyone entered the memory, and the scene began at nighttime on a tour bus. There was a bunk bed attached to the wall of the bus with three beds. On the bottom bunk, thirteen-year-old Viperine and Madison shared the bed, with Madison closest to the bus's wall. On the middle bunk, thirteen-year-old Deuce and Seth shared the bed, with Deuce closest to the bus's wall. On the top bunk, fourteen-year-old Lamia got the bed to herself.

Madison and Deuce were still awake. They tapped morse code with their nails on the wall, rolling them for a line and tapping once for a dot.

"I love this memory," Deuce laughed. "I hope you guys will too."

"I was asleep during it," Seth said. "Now, after many times of hearing about it, I finally get to see it."

"F*ck you guys," Lamia said, rolling her crystal clear blue eyes.

"What happened?" Frankie asked.

"Watch," Viperine answered, pointing to the scene. The tour bus took a sharp turn, and Lamia rolled off the top bunk and fell onto the floor. Deuce perked up, and Madison looked at her cousin on the floor, who was still sleeping. Frankie's group laughed, and Deuce and Madison muffled their giggles with their hands. Deuce shook Seth's arm. The older gorgon bolted up, hitting his head on the top bunk.

"Ow...what?!" The thirteen-year-old Seth whispered, tired from being awoken. Deuce grinned and pointed to the floor. Seth noticed his sister sleeping on the floor and shoved his face into the pillow to muffle his laugh.

"Alright, we're leaving this one now," Lamia said, annoyed. She grabbed Seth by the wrist and dragged him out of the memory. Everyone else followed them out before going into another, this time heading into the diary entry memories. In the first, thirteen-year-old Lamia pulled twelve-year-old Seth and Viperine and eleven-year-old Deuce and Madison. They finally made it to a brick building with dirt streaking up and down the walls.

"We're here!" Thirteen-year-old Lamia panted, wiping the sweat off her brow. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at the old building. The three beside her looked up as well.

Madison knitted her eyebrows. "Llama, where are we?" She asked, unknowingly scratching the scales on her left bicep.

"At a surprise! Let's go inside!" Lamia hurried to the steel door and knocked. A slit opened to reveal a pair of black eyes. Once seeing who was at the door, the man unlocked the door and ushered the Gorgons inside. Lamia rushed them into the building before the bodyguard, who was revealed to be a gargoyle, closed and locked the door. They took a look around, and many people of all ages were scattered around the room. They were shooting up and snorting drugs every which way they looked.

"Nope! We are leaving!" Madison said. She turned around to leave, but Lamia pulled her shoulders, turning her back around.

"We're not leaving just yet," Lamia said.

"Why are we here?" Deuce asked. He shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"Luv needed a favor," Lamia answered, "and I needed the cash." She walked towards the back wall, and the others shrugged before following her. She approached a man who was either a bare werewolf or a hairy human- it was hard to tell. He was dividing white powder into thin lines with a razor blade before he stopped to grin at Lamia with a mouthful of blackened teeth.

"If it isn't Lamia Gorgon," the man said. His voice was rough and scratchy, as if he'd had a few too many cigarettes. "What do you need today?"

"I'm delivering a package for a friend." Her voice was confident, as if a forty-year-old addict wasn't in front of her, nodding as she spoke and licking his dry, cracked lips in a way that made the other four cringe.

"Ah, Luv?" Lamia nodded. The man handed her a stained paper bag that was closed by being rolled-up at the top. "Pleasure doing business with ya." He winked and grinned again, and Lamia gave a tight smile.

Suddenly, the sound of sirens were heard. They blared through the walls as Lamia screamed, "Oh f*ck!" Everyone began throwing tables and chairs in front of the door to block it, but it was no use, and the cops busted down the door as if it were made of wet paper.

"Freeze!" An officer with a badge that read "Cook" yelled. "You're all under arrest! Put your hands in the air where I can see them." Everyone in the room complied, dropping their bongs and syringes. The plentiful amount of officers grabbed the people by their wrists and handcuffed them, leading them to police cars. Madison and Deuce were thrown into one car, while Seth, Viperine, and Lamia were thrown into another. "You have the right to remain silent. Any-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Madison said. She glared out the window angrily as she watched some of the men get shoved against the hoods of other cop cars.

A moment of uncomfortable silence filled the car until Madison interrupted the lack of noise. "So do you have a family outside of the police station?" She didn't mean to be nosy, just to stop the silence.

Cook glared at her suspiciously through the mirror before answering. "That information isn't-"

"A wife who's eight months pregnant with a boy, right?"

"H-how did you know that?" Cook sputtered.

Madison shrugged. "So I was right?" The cop just stared at her. Madison nodded, staring out the window. "That's nice."

The car ride continued to be uncomfortable, until finally, Cook parked the car. "We're here." He got out of the car and threw open the door for the triplets. He dragged them out and walked them inside the prison. A woman with a brown hairdo sat behind a desk with a filing cabinet behind her. She eyed the siblings with suspicion. "Mrs. Winestock," Cook said, tipping his hat.

"Officer Cook," Mrs. Winestock said, brushing off whatever was on her orange pencil skirt. "How's Lisa doing?"

"Fine. Fine," he nodded. "I need clothes for these two." Mrs. Winestock nodded before heading to a bookshelf and picking up two orange jumpsuits. She returned to her desk and sat the clothes on the counter. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied, going back to her original business. The cop picked up the clothes and walked the human-monster hybrids into a room with stalls. He uncuffed the duo and handed them their clothes before shoving each into a stall. Each of the stall's walls began a good ways up, so privacy wasn't an option. Madison got on her hands and knees, pressing her face close to the next stall.

"Deuce!" She whispered, trying to peer into the stall. Deuce knelt down next to her on the opposite side.

"Madison!" He whispered. "These aren't exactly the most private stalls in the world. What if I were changing?"

Madison shrugged. "I know you well enough to know that when changing, you always take your shirt off first. Always. You'd be fine. Calm your tits."

"Still!"

"My weapon?"

Deuce's eyes widened in realization. Almost immediately, the cop banged on the stall door.

"Hurry up in there!"

"What do I do?" Madison whispered hurriedly.

"I don't know! Hide it?"

"Won't they notice?"

"They never checked us before."

Madison nodded, and they both got up off the floor. She took a deep breath. "Girls do this all the time," she whispered to herself, trying to relax herself. "It's fine. Not the worst thing you've ever done." Dropping her clothes on the floor, she checked that the knife was folded inwards, that it wouldn't open on her.

Or rather, that it wouldn't open inside her.

"Oh my ghoul!" Frankie shrieked.

"Holy mother of f*ck!" Clawd shouted.

"Clawd!" Draculaura said. "Language!"

"Is she really doing that?" Clawdeen said. "Oh, she really is..."

"That's disgusting. What the hell?" Jackson said, his face wide in shock. He whipped his head towards Deuce. "Did you know about this?"

"Afterwards, yeah. Desperate times call for desperate measures, you know?"

"Dude, she hid a knife inside her _vagina_ ," Clawd said.

"At least it was closed?" Operetta offered.

When the knife was inside her, she changed as quickly as they can. The weapon felt uncomfortable inside her, but she ignored it. She slid the shirt on as Cook banged on the door again. The clothes were too big, but she was used to it. She came out of the stall to see Deuce and Cook waiting for her.

"It's about d*mn time," Cook grumbled, grabbing the duo by their wrists and bringing them to a photographer. There was a camera facing a white wall with black measurements and markings on it.

"Stand in front of the board," the photographer said. He readied his camera, not paying attention to them. "One at a time." The cop shoved Madison towards the wall as loud footsteps approached the room.

"Let go us!" a girl cried. As they walked into the room, they realized it was Viperine.

"What?!" Seth cried. "No! Keep this one!" He motioned towards Lamia who threw her handcuffed hands in the air.

"This is so f*cking stupid!" Lamia yelled.

"Understood," Viperine said, rolling her pink eyes.

"Think of it this way- it could be worse," Lamia shrugged.

"You can suck it, Llama," Seth scoffed. "Suck my middle f*cking finger. I'll have your eye on my dresser tonight."

"For the eighth time!" The officer that held them- Officer Smith- cried out. "You have the right to remain silent! Take a hint!"

"Lick my balls, Smith," Seth said, spitting on Smith's shiny, black shoes.

"You disgraceful, little bastard!" Smith slammed Seth up against the wall.

"You can suck it too!" Seth said. "I've got two middle fingers!"

"Hey, hey!" Cook yelled.

"Turn your head," the photographer said. He leaned into his camera. "That's good." He snapped the picture. "Turn to the left. That's it. Right, now." After Madison's pictures were completed. The photographer stood up straight. "Next!" Cook threw Deuce on the floor, who caught himself before he hit the ground. Cook grabbed Madison as Deuce stood in front of the wall. "Please remove your sunglasses."

"Gladly," Deuce said. He looked at Cook before taking off his sunglasses. Cook turned to stone, and Deuce put the glasses back on. Another cop rushed into the room.

"Take these two away!" The photographer pointed to the triplets-turned-twins. The new cop took them by their wrists and dragged them to a cell in solitary. He locked the door before leaving.

"Turn around," Madison said. Deuce complied, facing the wall as Madison fished the knife out from inside her. She secured the knife in the band of her bra. "Alright, you're good." Her brother turned back around before slumping against the wall. "Thanks for getting us out of there!" She said, leaning against the cell wall with him.

"It wasn't hard to do."

"That's why it helps to have contacts."

"Lamia got a red contact stuck in her eye. Remember?"

"Of course!" Madison laughed. "It was hilarious!"

"I don't want that to happen to me," Deuce said, settling in the bench next to Madison.

"Ready to leave this memory?" Lamia said, turning to face the team.

"Yeah," Frankie said, nodding. Everyone left the the memory and entered another one, which began in a cell again. This one held eleven-year-old Madison, twelve-year-old Viperine, and thirteen-year-old Lamia. Viperine and Lamia were out cold, sleeping against the cold wall of the cell. Madison, who was awake, held the knife in her left hand. She slowly dragged it across her palms, pressing down with each second. It left a crimson trail of blood. Draculaura screamed but didn't faint. Everyone else except Deuce, Seth, and Lamia was wide-eyed.

"Draculaura!" Frankie gasped. "You didn't faint!"

"I...I didn't...You're right!" Draculaura smiled, her pearly fangs glistening brightly.

Madison squeezed more blood out of her hands with her fingers before smearing the blood on the walls, on her arms, on her face, on the floors. Everywhere she could. Officer Cook walked past the cell, holding a paper cup of water. He saw the blood and the knife in the gorgon girl's hands. He spit out the water he had in his mouth and turned to her quickly.

"Where did you get that?!" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, this? I stole it from the abusive father that you said you wouldn't do anything about," Madison said calmly, as if the words meant nothing to her. And they didn't.

"I knew you looked like a child abuse victim." He turned to look down the hall, away from the gorgon. "Officer Smith!" The cop that brought the siblings' cousins in came rushing down the hall.

"Sir?"

"You're the officer who took Seth and Deuce to their cells, right?" Madison asked, pushing the knife further and further into her knuckles.

"Oh, you mean the loud-mouthed, crude-"

"We're Greek," Madison interrupted. "Yelling is a form of language."

"Smith," Cook said, ignoring her, "take the ghoul." Smith grabbed Madison by her wrists as Cook put one hand on the back of her neck and one hand grabbed and held both wrists behind her back. The cops took the duo to the stalls. Madison was surprised to see eleven-year-old Deuce already sitting in the stalls. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he winked knowingly. She smiled in return, pride gathering inside her. _Even apart, our hearts were together._

Smith brought Madison to her own stall. "Strip to your underwear." She scoffed.

"You're a full-grown man. I'm an eleven-year-old ghoul."

"You can take them off yourself or I can do it for you. Your choice." She reluctantly removed her prison uniform. Smith eyed her up and down as she stripped. "You've got quite a rack for an eleven-year-old."

"So you're hitting on children now?!" Madison said, her eyes wide and full of rage. Smith reached out to touch Madison's chest. She stole Smith's taser off his belt and used it against him. He screamed out in pain. "Pedophile," she snapped, spitting on him. Cook barged into the stall, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong?!"

"That little sh*t used a taser on me!"

"You tried to touch my breasts!" Madison shot back.

"I was right," Cook said. "She is crazy." He grabbed her arms and looked at the bruises and welts running up and down her limbs and torso.

"See anything on the other one?" Smith asked, standing up.

"The boy's the same way," Cook answered. "Completely used. His skin is covered in wounds all over his body." Smith nodded. "I'll go tell Winestock." He walked off, leaving Smith with Madison. Madison got dressed into her prison jumpsuit once more. When she was finished, Smith pulled her to her brother's stall. Smith took both out into the hall and waited for the other officer. Cook showed up a few minutes later.

"Well?" Smith asked.

"Mental Institute of Nevada." Deuce and Madison gave each other a look before sitting on the floor to wait. Roughly five minutes passed before Mrs. Winestock showed up to the party.

"A man named Dr. Grove is here for them. He's from the MIN." Almost immediately, a male in his mid-thirties with brown hair walked up to the five. He wore wire glasses, a white lab coat, and shiny, black shoes.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Grove," the man said, reaching out to shake the officers' hands. He pointed to the siblings.

"These are the two you were talking about?"

"Yes, sir," Cook answered.

"I see." Dr. Grove eyed the triplets closely and carefully, inspecting every last detail. "They look like abuse victims. Or any certain of domestic violence really."

"They already admitted they were," Cook said. Dr. Grove nodded before leading the triplets to a white car with a symbol on the side.

"You people are getting boring. Can we leave?" Lamia groaned.

"Yeah, I guess," Operetta said. Everyone left the memory and walked into another. It began in a dirty cell. Eleven-year-old Madison paced the floor, while her brother leaned against the grimy wall.

"Do they not realize that there's a window right there?" Deuce asked, pointing at the window. "One without bars no less."

"I guess not," Madison said. She stopped pacing and walked up to the window. She made a tight fist and punched the widow. She punched it thrice more, and it cracked. Deuce stepped in and punched the window, breaking it automatically with one hit. He was left with only a bloody hand. He wrapped it in the bottom of his shirt, staining the white uniform with the crimson blood.

"Uhh...Your-"

"It's fine," Deuce said. "You've seen me punch mirrors." Deuce climbed out of the window and dropped to the ground. They were only on the second floor, so it wasn't too bad. Madison jumped next, and Deuce caught her before putting her on the ground.

"Should we break them out now...or...?"

"Yeah." Madison nodded. The duo ran towards the prison, which wasn't too far away. When they reached the entrance, they stopped.

"Remember which cells are theirs?" Deuce asked. His sister nodded. "Good. Let's go." He turned to start running but was quickly interrupted.

"Wait!" Deuce stopped. "Don't we have a plan?" Madison asked.

"Okay..." Deuce said, thinking for a few seconds. "Break in. Try not to get caught. Free the trio."

"Pretty lousy plan."

"We don't have a lot of time here."

"Is there a Plan B?"

"If we get caught...kick them in the balls."

"What if they're ghouls?!"

"I don't know!" Deuce cried out. "Kick them in their vagina! Now, let's go!"

Both took off running. They entered the prison, whose security was less than ideal.

"This is so stupid!" Madison panted as they ran.

"I'm open to any ideas, Maddie!"

"Then stop."

Both froze. Madison saw a sleeping officer. She motioned him to her brother. Deuce nodded, sneaking up behind the officer and stealing a taser, two containers of pepper spray, and his keys. He tossed the taser to Maddie, and both exited the room, returning down the hallway and beginning to run once more. They soon reached the cell where their female cousins were being held.

"Let us out of here!" Viperine said. Madison took the keys from Deuce and unlocked the door. The duo exited the cell, and everyone took off running. They hurried down a few more halls before stopping at another cell. Seth laid on the bench, staring up at the ceiling.

"You bored there?" Madison asked with a smirk.

Seth grinned. "Bout time you showed up! I was getting lonely."

Deuce unlocked the door and hurried Seth out. They all took off running.

"'S so weird," Seth said as they ran.

"What?" Deuce asked.

"You two are in white. I never see that." Madison rolled her emerald eyes. Deuce handed Seth and Lamia pepper spray, and Madison gave Viperine a taser.

"How do you use this?" Viperine asked.

"Play around with it," Deuce shrugged. Everyone took off running. Seth sprayed the pepper spray into his mouth while they skidded down the hallway. A cop with a name tag that read "Faire" spotted the group.

"Hey!" Faire shouted. "You there! Stop!" They ignored the officer as Lamia sprayed him with her container of pepper spray. "Ah! My eyes!" He gripped his burning eyes as Viperine used the taser on the cop, who screamed and fell to the floor. The group continued to run as another cop showed up.

"Freeze! Remain right where you are!" Madison pulled out her knife and stabbed him in the thigh, not deep enough to do real damage but just enough to hurt him and slow him down. He screamed, and everyone continued to run.

Another officer appeared directly ahead of the group right in their path. "You'll never make it out of here!" Deuce punched the cop, who plummeted to the ground. The group kept running, and finally, they reached the exit. Madison quickly grabbed their original clothes from the front as they left the prison.

When they were a good bit away, panting and sucking as much air into their lungs as they could, Seth cheered, punching the air with his fists. "That was freaking awesome!" Everyone glared at him.

"Maybe if it wasn't a life or death situation!" Viperine snapped. Her snakes hissed at him.

"We made it," Lamia panted. "That's all that matters."

"No thanks to you," Deuce hissed. "You got us in that mess in the first place!"

"That punch you threw," Seth told Deuce. "That was awesome."

"You learn a few things from watching Dad," Deuce said, shrugging. Everyone left the memory.

"You don't have to visit them all," Seth said as Ghoulia shut the memory's door. "We still need to find memories of you guys."

"I don't feel right showing them Dad anyway," Deuce admitted. "Especially when he's just yelling at us."

"Hey, you ghouls go ahead," Cleo said. "I'm going to look around."

"Don't visit Maddie and the others yet," Frankie said.

Cleo rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to."

* * *

Cleo walked down the corridor and left Madison's memories. She saw the blank wall between Madison's door and Evangeline's door. Almost like a flicker, another door appeared in between them for half a second. "What?" Cleo asked herself. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. The door appeared and disappeared again. The mummy put her hand on the wall, and the door appeared again, this time staying in place. The door had an elaborate design of a snake twisted around the neck of a guitar. The lock was that of a keyboard. "This must be Deuce's door," Cleo whispered.

As if something triggered it, Cleo received flashbacks of the Gorgons calling Deuce by a certain nickname. Without hesitation, Cleo typed it into the computer keyboard. B-A-B-Y. It unlocked.

"By the grace of Ra..." Cleo pushed the door opened and walked through it. She was met with a row of doors, just like Madison's hallway. She decided on a random memory and went inside. Madison, Deuce, Viperine, and Lamia sat in twelve-year-old Deuce and Madison's bedroom. Madison was drawing a picture in a notebook, and everyone else was just talking about nothing. Viperine had a magazine in her lap. Lamia reached over and grabbed Deuce's water bottle, twisting the cap open and drinking the water inside. She spit it out.

"What the f*ck is this?! Tap water?" Lamia asked.

"Yeah, so?" Deuce said sarcastically.

"What are you doing serving me tap water?"

"It was my water!"

"Ya freaking turtle!"

"I never told you to drink it!" Deuce said.

"Y'know what? You get me a bottle of fresh water. Now. Otherwise you're dead. Go. Just go." Deuce rolled his eyes and got off the bed, beginning to walk off. "Unbelievable! GO!" As he made his way to the door, Lamia threw the water bottle at him. It hit his right shoulder blade. "Go!" Deuce opened the door and found Seth, who overheard everything, standing at the entrance.

"Was it really tap?" Seth whispered.

"No," Deuce whispered, "but the next one will be nail polish remover." Seth grinned and walked though the door, settling on the bed beside Madison. Deuce came back with the water bottle full. He tossed it to Lamia.

"Is it tap?"

"Nope." Lamia opened it and drank it, but she spit it out immediately. "What is that?!"

"Not water, I'll tell you that." He stood up. "Okay, but for real this time. I'm getting actual water." He left the room once more.

"Angel Maraschino, the celebrity pop star, removed her ovaries and fallopian tubes," Viperine read out of the magazine. "Why is this even in here?"

"Who would remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes?" Madison asked. "Cancer? But wouldn't that be the headline?"

"What are ovaries and fallopian tubes?" Seth asked.

"If I draw him a picture, he won't understand," Madison said to the other girls in the room.

"I know how to explain it," Lamia said. Deuce opened the door and began walking in the room just as Lamia said, "Ovaries are woman testicles." Viperine and Madison burst out laughing. Deuce, who was confused, and Seth, who was shocked at the thought of removing any of part of someone's genitals.

"I would never try to remove..." Seth said, droning off.

"What the f*ck are you talking about?!" Deuce asked. "Removing...wait, what? Woman testicles?"

"Nothing," Lamia said, laughing. Deuce tossed a bottle of water at her, and she caught it. She chugged half the bottle in one go. "Thanks." Deuce grabbed his own water bottle and downed a quarter of it.

"Why are you smirking?" Deuce asked.

"Before you came in, something stupid was in Champagne's magazine," Lamia said.

"It's about women testicles," Madison clarified.

"Ah." Deuce took another sip of his drink before closing it. "I swear something's up."

"Just us and our women testicles," Seth said.

"Case confirmed," Madison chuckled. "Seth is, in fact, a ghoul."

"No, I have all the necessary parts to be a dude," Seth said. Deuce emptied the water bottle and chucked it at Lamia.

"If it's poisoned, gods help you, I will murder you, Llama."

"Sorry, couldn't hear you with all that c*ck in your mouth."

"Lamia!" Viperine shrieked.

"What?! I've said worse. I've told one dude that I've worn heels bigger than his d*ck, you know that?"

Cleo smiled and left the memory, walking down the hall before entering another memory, one that took place much later and much further down the hallway. As she opened the door, she saw thirteen-year-old Deuce in his bedroom laying on his bed and facing the wall. Thirteen-year-old Seth and Viperine were also in the room, as was fourteen-year-old Lamia. Seth sat on the bed behind Deuce, Viperine paced around the room, and Lamia leaned against the wall.

"It's going to be okay, Baby," Viperine whispered. "She's safe." Deuce inhaled sharply, but other than that, he made no noise. Viperine sighed and walked up to him, putting her hand on his left shoulder to rub it. "You're going to be alright. Maddie is okay, and you will be too." Deuce sat up.

"I just...I need a minute." He got off the bed and walked into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. He turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on his face, which was stained, red, and hot to the touch from crying. As he looked up at his reflection in the mirror, Cleo heard him, although his lips did not move. _Eye for an eye._ He looked directly into his reflection's emerald eyes behind his sunglasses. _Blood for blood._

He left the bathroom wordlessly. His cousins looked up as he walked a foot or two to the bedroom door before leaving that too. He crept down the hall silently. He trailed down the stairs, careful not to make a sound, and peered behind the wall to see Mark watching television in the living room. Deuce reached down to the floor and picked up a broken beer bottle by its neck. The body was broken, sharp shards of glass jutting each way. He crept into the living room. Silently. Carefully. Trying not to make his presence known. Just when he was right behind his father, Deuce raised the bottle high, ready to bring it into his throat and slice his neck.

Mark twisted around and grabbed the bottle, swinging it down into Deuce's forehead. It sliced the skin, but not deep enough to do any lasting damage or even need stitches. He pushed his son into the wall, pushing the bottle against Deuce's neck.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, faggot?" He pressed the bottle in further, almost to where it cut the skin. "You think this is some game? Where you can just kill off whoever kills your favorite players? Tough luck. Life doesn't work that way." The skin split as Mark pushed the bottle in a millimeter more. Deuce gasped slightly. "And if you think you can just get rid of me so easily, you've made a mistake. I'm in control, not you." With that, he took the broken bottle away from Deuce's neck and stabbed into his torso, slicing it open from one side to the other. Deuce screamed, dropping to his knees as tears leaked down his face, broken glass and crumbs digging into his knees. Mark dropped the bottle to the floor and left Deuce on the ground. With shaky knees, Deuce stood up. He walked like a newborn giraffe up the stairs, breathing heavily with each step.

As he got to his bedroom, he opened the door and refused to look at Seth or Viperine, the only ones in the room, as he covered his torso with his arms, squeezing it like a tourniquet. He entered the bathroom wordlessly, shutting and locking the door behind him. He removed his arms, and blood poured from the gash across his stomach, bleeding profusely. _F*ck f*ck f*ck!_ He tore off his soaked shirt and threw it on the ground, not caring where it landed. He looked down, seeing how bad it truly was.

Blood was everywhere. The cut was deeper than he thought, and it was a wonder he made it up the stairs. Layers and layers of skin were sliced open, and the gash was an inch thick, wrapping around the front of his stomach. The pain was agonizing, and Deuce knew Mark hit something he shouldn't have. Something important. Something dire.

Without time to think, Deuce threw open the cabinet door of which the mirror was attached to. Bottles flew every which way as he dug around for the two things Madison always kept handy: a needle and thread. He pushed bottles of prescription drugs out of the way, struggling to find the thin piece of metal and spool.

On the other side of the door, Seth heard the ruckus being caused in the bathroom. He tucked his phone into his pocket and walked to the bathroom. He twisted the doorknob to find it locked. He put his ear up against the door. "Deuce, is everything okay in there?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" Deuce said as he poured rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball, wiping the soaked cotton on the needle. With shaky hands, he struggled to guide the thread through the minuscule hole. Finally, he did it. He knotted the thread before stumbling to the bathtub, laying down in it, and exposing his torso.

With the first hole, he screamed. He gritted his teeth as he pushed the sharp needle through his skin.

Seth pounded on the other side of the door. "Deuce! Deuce, what's wrong?!"

"Nothing!" Deuce screeched, groaning directly after as he pushed the needle through on the opposite side and tugged, trying to close the gap. "Just go away!" He screamed again, his hands shaking more and more as blood soaked the inside of the bathtub.

"Deuce! Openthedoor! Openthedoor! Openthedoor!" Seth said quickly, panicking. "Come on. Open up. Open the door." He stumbled over his words, pounding on the door with his fists.

Deuce screamed again, louder with each new hole the needle made. His hands shook, and his breathing became heavier and more labored.

Seth gave up on using his fists to pound on the door. Instead, he settled for slamming his body against the door. His bicep and shoulder stung as it started to bruise, but he refused to stop. "DEUCE, OPEN THE F*CKING DOOR!"

On the other side, Deuce screamed again, tears streaming down his face. It was getting hard to concentrate now, and everything was slowly turning black and red. Hazy. But he needed to finish. He wouldn't let himself bleed out. So he kept piercing small holes with the tip of the needle and spreading the hole even wider with the body of it. He leaned back, taking in shallow, staggered breaths. The sewing job was suboptimal at best, but he thought he was doing a great job considering the circumstances.

Deuce was roughly three-quarters of the way done when Seth finally knocked the door down. It plummeted to the tile, and Seth ran in, taking in the view. Blood was everywhere, and Deuce's shaky hands were causing him to struggle with the last bit. "OH MY GODS!"

"Shh...it's fine, it's fine, it's fine," Deuce said, still trying to focus on getting the last few stitches in. He screamed again, and Seth yanked out his phone to call 911. "No! Don't call! I'm fine- I'm _going to be_ fine." Deuce took a strained breath, and Seth sat on the side of the bathtub beside him, soaking his jeans in Deuce's blood. He grabbed his cousin's shaking hands to steady them as Deuce finished the last few stitches.

Deuce gently pulled the needle to tighten the string and almost passed out in the process. The excruciating pain made him see stars, and he collapsed backwards. With his last remaining bit of energy, he knotted the bloody string, and Seth trimmed it short. Deuce leaned back, trying to get in more oxygen. Seth leaned close to him, pulling him to his chest and soaking his shirt in blood.

"Gods, I thought you were trying to kill yourself," Seth whispered. "Especially after...after..." Deuce panted as tears streamed down his face. It wasn't long before the black took over and he lost conscience.

Cleo left the memory and entered another. It took place in Deuce's bedroom. Thirteen-year-old Deuce had his shirt off and the fan on. The cold air that circulated around the room brushed its chilly fingers across the fresh cuts, bruises, and welts across Deuce's skin. His back had taken the brunt of it, so he laid on his stomach instead. Someone knocked on the door. Deuce didn't have the energy to even lift his head to look, but Lamia entered the bedroom anyway. She had a small cardboard box in her hands. She set the box on the ground near Deuce's bed as she kneeled beside him.

"Are those from today?" She asked, poking a minuscule spot on his side that was free of wounds. He didn't answer, so she picked up the box before going to the other side of the bed to look at his face. He returned the look with tired eyes as she poked the long scar going straight down his left side. Madison sewed it up about a year before, but it hadn't faded in the slightest. This scar plus the newer addition on his stomach formed a 'T' across his torso.

"Most of them are," Deuce mumbled, his weak voice scratchy. Lamia nodded before reaching the box again.

"So I was out in town today," Lamia started. "I passed a sewer when I found this." She lifted the box to Deuce's bed and pulled out a gray object, setting it beside her cousin. Deuce peeked through his black eye as it moved closer to him. Upon further inspection, he saw that it was a rat with two tails. On one of its tails was a tag that read "Oregon Center for Science and Studies Test No. 1842." Deuce rubbed the rat's fuzzy head with two bruised fingers. "He must've escaped. I'm guessing he's mutated, since they probably did some weird sh*t to him with chemicals and crap." The rat crawled closer to Deuce, resting on his arm. "I figured you'd probably like to keep him. You could use the company anyway. Even if it is just a rat."

Deuce smiled as he continued to pet the rat. The animal relaxed quickly, feeling safe beside the gorgon, even though he had a head full of snakes. "Perseus," Deuce said after a moment. Lamia raised an eyebrow. "Not because of Mom, but because of Dad, who says he didn't do a good enough job when he killed her." Lamia nodded and stared at Perseus as he rapidly fell asleep next to his new owner. Deuce looked up at Lamia. "Thank you." He smiled. "I really do appreciate it."

Lamia grinned back. She ran her long fingers through his green mambas. "Anytime, Ugly." She left Deuce alone in the bedroom with the sleeping rat.

Cleo smiled and left the memory.

* * *

"How many doors _are_ there?" Lamia asked. "It feels like we've been walking _forever_."

"Oh, hush," Frankie said. "We only need to find Draculaura's memory, and then we're done."

"If that's the case," Ghoulia queried, "then why are we proceeding to the memories of the earlier days of her youth?"

The vampire shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we'll find it there."

"Or maybe something interesting at least," Clawd said.

"How do you think Cleo's doing?" Deuce asked.

"I'm kinda surprised she hasn't come back yet," Lagoona said. "Like what is there to see? Especially when there's a lock on everyone's door."

"Speaking of lock," Clawdeen said, "there are so many doors with chains on them." She let her fingertips brush over the cool metal on one of the doors. "Are they all repressed memories?"

"Yeah, I think so," Deuce answered.

"How bad does a memory have to be to repress it?" Draculaura wondered.

Deuce shrugged. "Not sure, to be honest. It's not really like you can remember it."

"So what happens if chain is broken?" Abbey asked. "Does she remember?"

Seth laughed. Everyone turned to look towards him.

"What's so funny?"

"People repress memories because of emotional trauma, and what do you a*sholes wanna do? Bring them back."

"We're just curious," Draculaura said.

"Haven't you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat?" Jackson asked. "Isn't it better to just leave them chained?"

"I guess we'll find out," Frankie said. "Deuce? Do you mind?"

He shrugged. "They're not my memories. I won't be the one to stop you. But just remember that the reason they're repressed is because they're so bad that the brain is trying to protect itself. Be careful."

Abbey outstretched her arm and froze one of the chains. She grabbed her right wrist with her left hand and raised it over her head like she was swinging an imaginary bat. She brought her elbow down, smashing the icy chain into tons of shards and broken links. She opened the door.

"Ladies, first."

Frankie grinned. "Thanks, ghoul!" She walked through the door.

"Do not mention it," the yeti replied, still holding the door for everyone else. When everyone had entered, she walked through the doorway and shut the door.

Deuce paled immediately.

"Oh, f*ck," he said. "I know why this one was repressed."

"Is it...like...R-rated?" Clawdeen asked.

"Not...quite," Deuce said. "But it's not one I plan on staying for either." He opened the door. "You can stay or leave. It's your choice."

"What is it about?" Frankie asked. She turned away from the gorgon to see his younger self on the concrete floor of the basement, his arms above his head as a means of protection.

"Let's just say this was the one time I fought back."

And with that, Deuce left. Seth glanced towards the others before following him out.

"This can't be good," Frankie said. "But now, I'm curious."

They all turned to face the scene before them.

Deuce was maybe five or six in this memory and smaller than he should've been for his age. Madison knelt on the ground next to him. Mark hovered above the boy, swinging at him while the gorgon covered his face to protect himself from the blows.

"He's so little," Lagoona said, trying to muffle out the insults Mark hurled at his son. "Barely an ankle-biter. What is Mark doing?!"

Suddenly, Deuce hit Mark. Since he was so little, he didn't do much damage, but it was enough to infuriate Mark.

The older man grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him up.

"What the f*ck was that?" he screamed, leaning into his face. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't me-"

"What, you think you run the house or something? Think you're in charge?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please-"

He was interrupted by Mark dragging him out of the basement. Madison stood up immediately and followed them to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

"Shut the f*ck up!" He hit him across the face, and the gorgon fell to the floor, wincing as he hit the tile. Mark didn't waste a second, dragging him back up by his arm.

"Put your hands on the counter," Mark said. "Palms down."

Deuce continued to apologize profusely, but he did as he was told. He put his hands flat on the counter. Tears streamed down his cheeks as the man turned to face Madison.

"Get the hammer."

Everyone's stomach dropped.

Deuce began crying harder, screaming and begging.

"Oh, god," Jackson muttered.

Madison stared wide-eyed, her jaw slack as she watched her father's facial expression.

"The longer you take, the worse it'll be," Mark threatened.

She ran off immediately to the garage. Reaching into the toolbox, she found the hammer at the top. For a brief second, she thought about grabbing the rubber mallet instead, but she quickly thought against it. Deciding not to make the situation worse, she shut the toolbox, hammer still in hand.

Hurrying back to the kitchen, she was met by her father's stern glare and Deuce shaking uncontrollably, his hands still pressed against the cool counter. He was crying harder than before. Madison's stomach lurched as she handed Mark the hammer.

"Spread your fingers apart," Mark said. "As far as you can."

Deuce complied, still apologizing and crying profusely.

Madison watched with bated breath as Mark raised the hammer up in the air. She slammed her eyes shut just as the hammer came down.

Everyone could hear the impact as it hit, slamming down on his pinkie and shattering the bones. Deuce shrieked. It took everything in him not to yank his hands away.

Mark brought the hammer up once more only to bring it down on his ring finger.

He screamed again. Louder. More piercing.

Up.

Middle finger.

He couldn't see. His vision was blurred by tears, and all he could see was blinding white and red.

Up.

Index finger.

He couldn't breathe. It hurt too much.

Up.

Thumb.

His screams got worse with every second. Draculaura closed her eyes and covered her ears.

"Are you going to fight back again?" Mark badgered. He gripped the hammer so tightly that it shook in the air.

Deuce shook his head.

Mark brought the hammer down again on his left thumb.

Deuce screamed out in pain.

"Answer me! I said, are you going to fight back again?!"

"No...no, sir."

Index.

His hands were on fire.

Middle.

As if million of fire ants were biting him at once.

Ring.

Burning like the hottest pits of hades.

Pinkie.

Mark threw the hammer on the counter. It bounced slightly.

"Next time," Mark hissed, "I suggest you remember your place." He kicked the back of his son's knees. He buckled but stayed upright, his hands still glued to the counter. "F*cking faggot."

With that, he walked away.

Madison inched towards her brother, who was shaking and crying. Looking down at his hands, she could see the blood pooling in and around every broken finger.

"Oh my ghoul..." Frankie said. "It's a good thing Cleo left."

* * *

Meanwhile, Cleo had entered another memory. It began in a living room, but it wasn't the one in Greece, his father's, or his mother's. It was one Cleo hadn't seen before. It had soft, muted teal walls and white accents. The white couches sat in front of the white, velvet curtains. The floors were a white, engineered hardwood, but the wood looked more like light gray. A light teal rug laid in the middle of the floor. Fourteen-year-old Deuce, alone in the room, sat on one of the sofas. He tapped his fingers against the leather and waited patiently. After a moment, a young woman, only thirty-four, walked in, two cups of tea in either of her hands. She was slender, svelte, and willowy, all of which in an elegant way that suited her. She had bright green eyes, a pert nose, and light pink lips. She wore a white, Grecian dress with a flowy skirt that had a Bohemian flare. Her brown curls reached her tailbone and were adorned with a flower crown, pink roses resting gracefully atop her head like a crown. She handed Deuce one of the cups and joined him on the couch. Deuce drank the tea for only a few seconds before setting it on a tray on the ottoman.

"Aunt Moni?" Deuce asked. The woman- Monique- looked over at her nephew as she continued to drink the scalding tea. "What was Mark like?"

"Medusa never told you?"

Deuce shook his head. "It wasn't exactly a topic she liked talking about." Monique nodded, playing with the handle on the cup before setting it down on the ottoman.

"I don't know how much you know...or even if you know anything at all," she started. "Way back when, when Jesus walked the earth, generations and generations ago, on my mom's side of the family, one of them fell in love with American names, and she started a tradition where she'd name all her kids American names. And those kids would name their kids American names and so on. Whatever." She stopped to roll her eyes before continuing again. "So when your yiayia Lucille married Eulalios, she carried on that tradition. But for some weird reason, she liked names that started with 'M.' They had four children. From oldest to youngest, they were Michael, Mark, Macey, and finally me, Monique.

"Michael was the golden boy of the family. Everyone loved him and thought he was perfect. And Mark and Michael were always super close. They did everything together and were closer than most siblings. Mark met Medusa when he went to college in America. He went to Oregon State University and worked a part time job on the side. He met her when she was visiting her friends. Anyway, they went back to Greece together, and when he introduced her to the family, they despised her. Only three of us liked her: me, your great-great-grandmother Bethania- who's like, ninety-seven, and Michael. Michael loved her, and they quickly became great friends. Us three were the only ones from the family to show up to the wedding.

"Michael married a woman named Sophia. The family instantly loved her, even though they loathed Medusa. Simply because Sophia was human and Medusa wasn't. It's honestly kind of sickening the things they told Medusa as they welcomed Sophia into the family with open arms.

"Sophia was a month pregnant and Mark and Medusa had only been married a few months when Michael died in a car accident. Mark felt horrible. He turned to drinking and quickly left the family's radar. As Mark left the family, Sophia was welcomed further and further in, replacing both of the boys. She and her new daughter, Niobe, who lived without a father, stayed with the family even though Michael was gone. But Mark had completely disappeared. The last we heard was that he and Medusa had twins. He moved back to America, and that was it." The two stayed silent for a while. Deuce finished his tea before finally breaking the silence.

"They divorced."

"What?"

"Mom and Dad. They divorced."

"When?"

"I was four." He played with the handle of the cup as he refused to look up at her. "It was pretty messy. They screamed at each other and would throw things around. Mom put a knife to Dad's neck the night we left. We went to court, and Mom tried to get custody, but she's a monster, and Dad's a human, so they put us with him." Monique nodded in understanding.

"Dad moved to America first. To Salem, Oregon. Mom quickly followed and moved shortly after. She already had a house there, but she decided to just stay there permanently instead of with Aunt Stheno and Aunt Euryale." Deuce stopped playing with the cup and just stared at the rim on the inside. "He remarried only year later."

"He did?!"

"Yeah."

"I didn't know that."

"Her name's Marisa."

"Well...what's she like?"

"Horrible." Deuce shrugged. "It hasn't gotten much better. Especially since Madison's gone."

"Wait, what?" Monique stared at Deuce with wide eyes. He tore his eyes away from the bottom of the cup to look at her green eyes with his own. "What do you mean she's gone?"

"She died..." He looked at his hands, which laid in his lap. "She was murdered." They sat in silence for a moment before Monique sighed.

"I guess there's more to Mark than we don't know."

"Speaking of," Deuce said. He looked back up. "They didn't have twins. We were triplets. But Ianthe was a stillborn."

"Really?!" Deuce nodded. Neither of them knew what to say, so they sat in silence, staring at the walls, their laps, anything but each other.

Finally, Monique asked, "Do you like America?" Deuce shrugged.

"I guess. It's nice and all, but I didn't get to see my half siblings much."

"The ones from your mother?"

"Well, them too, but the ones from Dad as well."

"Mark doesn't have any other children...does he?" Monique's eyes widened in confusion. Deuce nodded and looked over towards her.

"Yeah, he cheated on Mom a lot when they were married. Hell, he cheats on Marisa now." Deuce tensed up slightly. "We don't know with how many. But eight of them got pregnant. One got pregnant twice, and another had twins. There were eight of them, but only one of them's alive now."

Monique closed her eyes. Her head spun with the new information she received. Finally, she took a breath. "Do you miss them?"

"Every second," Deuce answered truthfully. "But not as much as Madison." They sat in silence for a bit before Cleo left the memory. She leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths in, trying to clear her head from the information overload.

After steadying her breaths, she headed down the hallways until she saw a corner. The hallway took a sharp turn at a right angle. She chose the memory that was two doors down from the door on the corner. She entered the memory. The scene started at an airport. Fifteen-year-old Seth and fourteen-year-old Deuce stood by the exit, and sixteen-year-old Lamia tapped her foot impatiently. Seth and Lamia were about to board the plane but were saying goodbye to their cousin first.

"You just have a few more days," Seth said to Deuce, who looked very sickly, pale, and uneasy. "The court case is in like, a week. And your dad's stopped, so you should be good."

"Wait, Seth-"

"Seth, we need to _go_ ," Lamia pushed, gritting her teeth.

"Hold on," Seth said, turning towards his sister. He looked back towards Deuce before saying, "We'll see you in about two months. It'll fly by. You'll be okay."

"No, listen, I-" Deuce began sobbing uncontrollably and shaking violently. Seth's gray eyes widened in horror as he tried to calm down his cousin. "I can't do this. Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me here alone." Seth grabbed Deuce's arms in an attempt to calm him down, but Deuce only cried harder. Seeing as an audience was starting to look towards them, Seth tried to shush Deuce and squeezed his shoulder gently.

"Deuce, it's going to be o-"

"No, no, no. You can't leave me. You can't leave me alone with him."

"Why?" Seth's storm cloud eyes bored into Deuce's green ones. "Why not?"

"You just can't."

"Listen, you have to talk to me."

"I just-"

Lamia was already fed up. She had been the entire month. But finally, she cracked.

"Deuce." She glared at him, and Deuce looked up from his hands to listen. "I don't know what your f*cking problem is, but you need to calm the f*ck down right now. I'm sick up putting up with your bullsh*t; we all are. You need to stop pushing your godd*mn problems on everyone else and start manning the f*ck up because no one wants to put up with this anymore." At this point, Deuce stopped crying. He stared emotionlessly at Lamia with only a look of hurt etched across his face. "I'm so sick of this. Face the facts: I don't care. We don't care. _None of us care._ And if you can't see that by now, then that's your own f*cking problem. We can't fix this for you. We're not your f*cking saviors, and we can't solve all your problems.

"Madison died. Big deal! It was two years ago. Get over it! We all have! Why can't you? Is that because you've never actually had to face your own problems until now? At this point, all you f*cking want is attention, and I'm sure as hell not going to be the one to give it to you. Grow. Up. Because one day, you'll realize what a f*cking nuisance you're being. And by then, everyone's going to have already left."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Just GET OUT!" The world was silent. No one moved. One single tear ran down Deuce's cheek, and he left it alone to fall to the smooth floors. Finally, he nodded.

"Alright," he said emotionlessly. "If that's what you want, I'll leave." He turned away from his cousins and left without looking back.

Behind him, Seth stared, feeling a pang of guilt and a sense of dread, feeling like something bad was going to happen. But Lamia pulled him to the line, and they left, disappearing from view.

As Deuce left the airport, he felt his stomach and heart get tied up in his throat. He heard crying and looked around only to find that it was coming from himself. As if on cue, it began to rain. His last hope, his last chance, his last time seeing them. They were gone. And they weren't coming back. He cried harder, letting the rain disguise the tears. Not knowing where to go, he decided on an abandoned hotel about a twenty minute walk from the airport.

He reached the hotel, and it looked like a ghost town. The red brick was stained with dirt and was in desperate need of a pressure washing. The shingles on the roof were falling off, and the rails looked like they were on their last leg. The hotel was neglected...like him. Deuce stepped onto the rickety metal stairs. They shook with each step, and rust stained the rails, but nonetheless, he trudged up. When he got to the top floor, he stepped onto the balcony and lifted himself up to the roof. When he was fully up, he stood on the ramshackle roof and looked out into the sky.

Stars. There were hundreds of them. _Millions_ even. Hundreds and hundreds of millions. He wanted to count them just to see how long it took. The moon was full and glowed down, shining its light on his face. Correction. A _reflection_ of its light. It could never shine its own light, no matter how badly it wanted to. But it was beautiful. Beautiful and dark and elegant. And oh, how the moon reminded him of Madison.

He looked down. He must've been up a good thirteen stories. One step was all it took. He wouldn't have to deal with it. Wouldn't deal with anything. He'd never have to go to school to be forgotten by teachers and pushed around by students. He'd never have to go home to be beaten and locked away by his father. He'd never have to go the bar and return home red in the face and full of shame. He'd never have to face the world.

Deuce took a step forward. The streets were so small, and the cars were even smaller. No one would find him until morning, and by then, it'd already be too late.

"Come on, Deuce," he heard a voice say. He turned around to see Gwendolyn sitting behind him on his right. She was at the top on the very peak of the roof where both sides met. "It's just a few more steps. It won't even hurt."

"No." He turned to the left side to see Gabriel with his arms out, trying to balance himself on the steep roof. "Deuce, no. Back away. There's no need for this."

"Don't listen to him, Deuce," Gwendolyn hissed. "It's just a bit more. You can do it."

"Stop! Gwen's feeding you lies! Don't believe her. This isn't okay. Step back."

"Shut up, Gabriel. You think what you're doing is so holy and good, but you're really just thinking of yourself at this point. Think about it, Deuce. Think about how many people pushed you around, knocked you down. And when you were on the floor begging for help and mercy, they laughed and stomped on your fingers. Think about how nice it would be to not have to go through that again."

Deuce took a step forward.

"NO!" Gabriel took a step closer to his half brother. "Think about all the people that love you! Imagine how hurt they'd be if they knew you did this to yourself."

"Oh, really?" Gwendolyn stood up and crossed her arms. "Name someone. Anyone."

"His cousins!"

"Who left. Who yelled in his face before they departed."

"That was only Lamia."

"But I didn't see Seth try to step in. And where is Viperine? You certainly need her right now. Come to think of it, where are any of them when you need them most?"

"Well, what about your aunts Stheno and Euryale?"

"Who live on the other side of the world? Fat chance of them helping."

"Aunt Monique took a liking to you."

"She would never do anything to hurt her precious brother. She's a Jayne. A snake. That's what they do."

"Caleen."

"Who never sees him? Who gets sick if she's indoors for more than forty minutes? She can't help. She never did."

"That's not true. She was the one to bring him food and water when he went to the foster home. The one that locked him outside with a chain."

"Like a f*cking dog." Gwendolyn stepped closer to Deuce, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "That's what you are to the world, Deuce. You're a dog. Nothing but a dirty, filthy mutt. A scrappy, homeless, walking skeleton who begs for what you want in this world. We all are. Every one of Mark's children. We're outcasts, pushed away by both worlds and never going to truly belong anywhere. Why would you want that? Why would you go through that willingly?"

"Deuce, don't listen to her." Gabriel took a few wobbly steps towards the gorgon. "You don't have to do this. There's another way."

"Face it. There isn't. Deuce, we all know that in two days, Mark is going to kill you. And if you don't get out now, you'll never leave."

"Deuce, please listen. You can run away. You can last a week. You've lasted months. You just have to hold out until that court date."

"You won't," Gwendolyn said. "You won't make it. The world hates you! Loathes you! Despises you with everything in it!" She raised her arms in the air, and it was only then that Deuce noticed it had stopped raining. "And if you don't see that now, it's going to tear you apart!" She lowered her arms, panting heavily. "You need to get out while you still can. You haven't lost yet. And you don't have to. Show them who the victor is."

Deuce took another step. His toes hung off the edge. Even the smallest nudge would send him falling.

"That's it, Deuce. Just one. More. Step."

"Stop!" Gabriel screamed. "Think of everyone you'd hurt!"

"Deuce, they don't care! They never cared!" Gwendolyn screeched. "JUST JUMP!"

"NO!" Gabriel yelled. "MADISON! TELL HIM!"

Deuce turned around to see his sister standing a few feet behind him. Her pale figure, more transparent than the other two, sighed. Her green snakes were silent, and her emerald eyes were cast downward.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Baby," Madison said. "If you do this, you'll hurt everyone who loves you. But if you don't, you'll be the one that's hurt. And while I can't make that decision for you, I know you'll make the right choice. You always do." Madison put a cold hand on Deuce's cheek before disappearing, leaving him alone with the angel on one side and the devil on the other.

"They don't care. Lamia said it herself," Gwendolyn said after Madison left. "If they cared, they'd be here with you. Show them. Show them all. Hell, do a flip. Take it from Iris; this is the easy way out." Deuce closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "One step. Then you'd be safe. Forever."

Just as he felt himself leaning forward, he heard Gabriel scream.

"Medusa!" Gabriel cried. Tears streamed down his face. "You're her last child. Pegasus and Chrysaor are gone; they have their own families now. And Madison and Ianthe are dead. It would kill her if her last baby died too."

Deuce opened his eyes. He looked down at the road and the cars and the people. He saw the stars and the moon and the sky. He dropped his head, feeling tears run from the corners of his eyes to his nose, dripping off the tip.

"I can't do it," he said. He took a step back.

"Yes, you can, Deuce!" Gwendolyn coaxed Deuce further. "She'll move on. She'll know you didn't want to be in pain anymore. It's okay. Just jump."

"No." He blinked away tears. "I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for Mom." With that, he stepped down. He climbed off the roof and slowly walked down the stairs. He got to the ground and fell to his knees. He buried his face in his palms and cried at the thought of what he had almost done.

Cleo wiped away her own tears as she left the memory. She entered the door directly on the corner. The memory began in fourteen-year-old Deuce's bedroom. He laid on his stomach on the bed as he finished up a project. It was the fourth copy, as he always made extra copies just in case one got destroyed, lost, or bloody. He copied the words from one page to another. He froze as he heard footprints. He looked towards the window, which he remembered was bolted shut and covered in wood planks by his father, who'd taken drastic measures to make sure his son didn't leave.

As Mark pushed the door open, Deuce's eyes widened in shock. His father was completely sober, a surprise albeit not a pleasant one. He walked to the bed as Deuce sat up. He grabbed the papers his son had been working on and ripped them in half, then put one half behind the other, ripped the papers into quarters, and kept tearing the pages. When he finished, he dropped the papers to the floor before grabbing Deuce by the snakes on his head and yanking him down the hall and to the stairs. He shoved Deuce down them, causing the monster to fall and land on his back painfully. Mark hurried down the stairs and kicked his son's sides. Deuce screamed in pain, and Cleo squeezed her eyes shut and covered her mouth with her hand. He grabbed a titanium golf club and used that to crack his son's ribs. Over and over. Deuce's ribs were broken by the time Mark dragged Deuce to the living room. Mark tied the fourteen-year-old to the leg of the couch using rope that was hidden under the sofa before leaving him unattended as he went into the kitchen. Deuce clawed at the rope, trying to loosen it.

Mark returned with a kitchen knife the size of his forearm. "F*cking, useless son of a b*tch," Mark growled. He leaned into his son's face until he could smell the tobacco on the older man's lips. Deuce's eyes widened in terror as Mark cut thin lines, some larger and deeper than others, into Deuce's limbs. After each limb was covered in gashes, Mark sliced Deuce's shirt through the middle, grazing his son's stomach. He ripped his shirt apart and cut dozens of deep cuts into the monster's stomach. Deuce screamed and writhed around, still desperately trying to escape the rope's hold on him. Mark stopped cutting his torso and moved upwards to his face, slicing deep marks into Deuce's forehead and cheeks. Deuce screamed. He knew that screaming would result in a larger, more painful punishment- it always did. But he also knew there was no making it out alive anyway, so maybe if someone found him first...

"Please," Deuce panted. "Stop." Mark pushed the knife into the skin just above his son's jaw.

"Give me a good reason why."

"You...you have no one else to release anger on if you kill me."

"Maybe," Mark said. He pressed the knife in deeper. "But I get you out of my hair."

Marisa, who was in the kitchen boiling water while watching the scene unfold, came to her husband and stepson. She held the pot of water. "Where do you want it?"

"Chest," Mark answered. Marisa complied and dumped the scalding on water on Deuce's chest and mid-torso. He shrieked, feeling the skin blister and bubble up. It felt like fire rushing over him, and he screamed. Mark yanked off his belt as whipped Deuce with the metal buckle. With each snap, gashes sliced deeper and deeper into his skin. After what felt like hours, he stopped belting his son, slipping the leather strip back on his waist. He yanked Deuce up to wall and slapped him, kneed him in the stomach, and punched him. Marisa sank her teeth into her stepson's limbs and torso. Deuce screamed in pain as Mark grabbed the knife again. After what felt like hours of being carved into, Mark stopped. He threw down the knife, and it landed dreadfully close to Deuce. "I think that's enough." He turned to his wife. "Marisa?" He was met with a scoff. Mark squatted down to meet Deuce's gaze, his son's hidden while his was cold, hard, and icy. "You want a break, faggot?"

Deuce panted miserably, unable to say a word. Mark kicked Deuce's ribs, causing him to squeal.

"Coward."

"Mark," Marisa said. She stood beside him, pushing her body up against him ever so slightly. "Are you planning anything in particular for him?"

"Just gonna see how much he can take." He grabbed Deuce's chin and squeezed it, shaking his son's head forcefully. "He's going to give out. I just want to see how long it takes. An hour? Ten? Let's see." He dropped his chin, and Deuce fell back, panting on the floor.

Suddenly, the scene turned black. Everything. Cleo could see nothing but small white dots in the air. She lifted her hand to her face but couldn't see it in the black void that made up the scene. Her heart pounded, her fear of the dark suffocating her.

A few seconds later, the scene faded back to color. The mummy didn't know how much time passed, but she knew for certain that Deuce had passed out. _He must have regained consciousness_ , she thought.

She could see a blurry Marisa in front of her boyfriend's younger self. The stepmom cut open pieces of copper wire, testing out an "experiment" of hers.

When she finished, she and Mark embedded the wire deep into Deuce's skin, causing Deuce to thrash and screech once more. After the wire was inserted into his skin, Deuce was thrown up against the wall of the living room, and Mark choked him. "Is this hurting you?" He asked sarcastically. Deuce couldn't answer as he turned purple in his face. "How about this?" Mark choked him harder, and Deuce brought his hands up to scratch at his father. Mark laughed and let go of his son, causing Deuce to fall on the floor and crack his head on the sofa's leg. He picked his son back up and threw him on the floor once more. He beat him until he bled profusely from many areas. Most of his ribs were broken. Deuce screeched loudly in agony before the scene went black again.

It didn't take long for him to regain consciousness once more. This time, he was tossed over Mark's shoulder. Deuce yelled in his ear but couldn't do much more than that. It hurt to move, and there was no point in fighting back.

Mark carried Deuce outside before dropping him in the middle of the street. Deuce screamed in pain. The late February air made the tar cool, which felt magnificent against his burning wounds, but the force of being dropped was indescribably excruciating. He watched as his father walked off to the side of the house before picking up a cinderblock. He carried it inside the house and shut the door.

Deuce could do nothing but lay in the street, letting the cold air eat up at him and slowly bring his cold-blooded body to a temperature much colder than ideal. After the first fifteen seconds of the cold feeling fantastic, it soon ate into his skin like a disease. He let the tears run down his cheeks, the salt burning his wounds and making him cry harder. He could only cry and convulse. Everything went black until a white van with a Monster National News logo printed on the side drove onto the street. The driver spotted Deuce and parked the van. A news reporter rushed out with a cameraman, the camera instantly focusing on the scene.

"Hi, I'm Dane Drawart," the news reporter said. "I'm on Old Flower Road where a...fifteen-year-old boy is lying in the middle of the street! By the way he looks, he's been tortured by someone. More news on this after the commercial." The cameraman stops recording.

"Very subtle and very broad," the cameraman said. "Just what gets their attention. I like it."

Deuce grabbed the news reporter's leg. He shrieked and kicked Deuce off him as if he were an insect or a disease. "Please..." Deuce panted, his breaths strenuous, "please help me."

"Sorry, kid," the news reporter said. He backed away from the boy laying in the middle of the road. "We're in charge of providing the news, not providing rides to the hospital. What do I look like? An ambulance?" He and the cameraman quickly rushed back into the van and drove off as quickly as they could, as to avoid being blamed for the monster's wounds. Deuce leaned back and squeezed his eyes shut, another chance of getting help gone. He wanted to lay there and cry forever. But he was soon interrupted.

"What did you tell them?" Deuce opened his wet eyes to see Mark standing over him, glaring at him,

"N-nothing."

"Bullsh*t." Mark spit on his son's cheek. "Get up, faggot." He hauled him up onto his shoulder before going back inside. Marisa locked the door and closed the blinds just before Mark threw his son on the hardwood floors. Deuce wailed. "Aw..." Mark said sarcastically, "did that hurt?" He stomped on Deuce's stomach before kneeling down to pick up the dropped kitchen knife. He used it to tear the monster's skin.

"Riss, bat?" Marisa nodded, hurrying to the garage. She returned seconds later with a wooden baseball bat and handed it to Mark. With all his strength, he knocked all the breath out of Deuce's lungs. The heavy wood crashed against his bones. Deuce heard snapping, but as pain raced through his veins, he couldn't tell what was breaking. Once Mark grew bored with the bat, he headed to the kitchen to get a Bud Lite. Instead of drinking it, he smashed the bottle against Deuce's skull, causing the bottom of the bottle to break and the boy to scream as the shards of glass punctured his head. Blood trailed down his face, streaking it in crimson.

"Mmm..." Marisa said, smirking to herself, "waste of good beer that child of yours is, Mark."

"Not when you can do this." He proceeded to cut deep gashes into Deuce's skin multiple times.

"Please...please stop..." Deuce's voice was hoarse, weak, and tired. But determined.

Mark scoffed but let go of him. "Pathetic." Deuce shakily stood up like a newborn calf for the first time. The second he was on his feet, he toppled to the ground. But the nevertheless, he persisted and tried once more. Mark and Marisa laughed at his attempts before Mark slapped Deuce, and he plummeted to the ground. Mark laughed harder and kicked the monster's sides. Marisa retrieved the fallen knife and began to skin her stepson's snakes, which hissed and snapped in pain.

He felt himself convulsing, and he felt his father holding down his arms, but it didn't feel real. Blinding white pain stabbed through his skull, his scalp, _everywhere_. The knife against his scales was unbearable and felt like the prick of a million needles. His forehead felt wet, but he couldn't process the blood pouring down from his scalp.

Through blurry vision, he saw a sheet of green scales as they were thrown beside him. He paled considerably. Listened to the muffled voice of Mark telling Marisa. Put it in a cooler. Mail it to Medusa- the fresher, the better. He didn't know when she packaged up the snakeskin. Or picked up her car keys. Or drove to the post office. Or especially when she returned. All he could focus on was the stained sofa. The dirty floors. He could hear his heartbeat. Pounding away in his ears. He heard screams. _Are they mine?_ He felt the tears on his cheeks. _When did I start crying?_ It was as if he was watching, listening to someone else, never processing that everything was his. All he could feel was stabbing, piercing, violent pain. It flooded through every vein, every capillary in his body. Blood pounded in his head. A drum. Louder. Louder. He couldn't breathe. Someone was sitting on his chest. Sucking away all his oxygen. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. _I can't breathe_.

Suddenly, the stairs creaked. Deuce perked up, unaware to his father and stepmother. He saw a flash of gold run towards the group, and his heart automatically dropped. _There's two people with gold in their hair: Nefera and Cleo...oh, sh*t,_ He thought. _Nefera will use it against me for sure, and Cleo will have to witness this. Gods, let me be hallucinating..._

The floor creaked near the couch, this time catching the attention of Deuce's parents. Both stopped paying attention to Deuce to look at the couch. Mark knitted his eyebrows angrily and walked towards the sofa. Deuce's heart raced as he, without thinking, grabbed Mark's leg and pulled it. It took everything in him, and the simple movement of stretching his arm made it light up like a faulty sparkler. But it got the desired effect as Deuce watched Mark trip and topple over. Mark looked over at his son, and seeing the fire in his father's eyes, Deuce regretted the move. He headed back towards him before grabbing his son's hand and breaking it immediately with a snap. Deuce screamed in pain. Mark knelt down and began undoing Deuce's pants. Deuce attempted to kick and scratch him, all the while thrashing and trying to get away and make him stop. He failed though, and Cleo covered her mouth and closed her eyes in shock and sadness as Mark had his way with him. Mark held his wrists, pinning Deuce's arms above him tightly. The older man bit Deuce's collarbone to muffle the noise. Deuce cried, small groans and hiccups escaping his throat. Mark gripped his son's hips tighter, his nails digging into the skin leaving little, red crescents. Semen mixed with blood dried onto the gorgon's thighs, and Deuce's face grew red with shame.

When Mark finished, he stabbed Deuce's right thigh with the same kitchen knife from before. Deuce screamed, and Mark tore his son's shirt into shreds before taking it off him. He stabbed through his belly, and Deuce cried out in pain.

_He's going to kill me!_ Deuce cried. _He's actually going to kill me!_

Mark tore into Deuce's torso, digging around until all his organs were exposed. Deuce screamed miserably in agony as Mark broke each of Deuce's ribs and cut into his internal organs. His stomach. Liver. Intestines. His whole middle was drenched in his blood. With every breath, he could feel more and more as it pumped out of his body. Blanketed him in liquid warmth.

Right at that moment, police sirens were heard. Deuce's eyes widened in horror, but he still panted and screamed. Marisa looked at Mark with a worried expression as Mark glared at Deuce with an irate expression. Marisa quickly grabbed a throw pillow on the couch and shoved it up against her stepson's mouth, muffling his screams.

"What do we do?!" Marisa whispered as she panicked. Mark didn't answer her, and he instead chose to continue beating his son until he could barely move. Tears flowed from the boy's eyes. Someone banged on the door forcefully.

"OPEN UP OR WE'LL KNOCK IT DOWN!" The voice was deep, masculine, and obviously belonging to an officer. Deuce's heart sped up to the point where it was painful. Although help was here, Deuce knew Mark would kill to keep the secret. And that's what he was planning on doing.

_Kill me now. Just kill me now. Please, oh please, oh gods, just don't let it be any more painful than this. Whoever's listening, let it be quick!_

It didn't take long for the police to knock down the door. Six police officers ran into the living room. Mark grabbed the cinderblock that he carried into the house from earlier. He walked up to his son.

"Drop it now!" The officer shouted.

Mark grinned.

"Gladly."

With that, he let go of the cinderblock. It fell to Deuce's stomach. Deuce screamed. The pain was excruciating. He could see his world going black and red. Mark picked up the block of cement as he kicked the boy, making Deuce flip over onto his stomach. Mark dropped the block onto his back, specifically his spine. One of the officers shot at Mark's foot, but Mark jumped, and the bullet hit Deuce's thigh. He screeched as Mark lifted the cinderblock one last time, dropping it on Deuce's skull, giving him a concussion at the very least. All the officers charged at Mark, and two grabbed Marisa on the way there. Three grabbed Mark, but he tried to wrestle his way out of their grasp. Two doctors rushed into the living room and knelt next to Deuce. A younger Cleo came out from behind the sofa and headed towards the doctors and Deuce. She sat down and put Deuce's head on her thighs. She played with his skinless, sensitive snakes, even though his blood covered her hands. One doctor put two fingers on Deuce's wrist, followed by his neck and waist.

"I can barely feel a pulse," she said. Another doctor inserted a needle with a blue liquid into Deuce's wrist. Deuce gasped immediately and started coughing, painfully so. As he coughed, blood came out.

"It's okay," the younger Cleo said to Deuce as she continued stroking his bare, bloody snakes, which were much more sensitive after having been partially skinned.

Suddenly, fifteen-year-old Viperine raced through the door but was blocked by cops.

"No entries allowed," a cop told her.

"Yeah, heh heh," another said. "Beat it!"

"I'm his cousin!" Viperine shouted, panic outriding all other emotions.

The police quickly took note of the snakes that were snapping and hissing with panic. "Oh, um, right this way."

The cops moved out of the way, and the younger Cleo saw Viperine, so she darted out of the house. Viperine ran towards her cousin and knelt down on his right side.

"Oh...oh, ghoul! Are you okay?" Viperine asked gently.

"Vi..." Deuce answered hoarsely between pants and coughing fits.

"Okay, um...how many fingers am I holding up?" She held up three fingers, but Deuce's vision doubled.

"Six. No, five. Wait...six."

Two doctors lifted Deuce up onto the stretcher. He screamed in agony during the process. They wheeled him out with Viperine following him behind like a lost puppy.

Upon leaving the house, the younger Cleo saw many families crowded around the house surrounded by cop cars and an ambulance. Mark, who was putting up a fight, was being shoved into a cop car, but Marisa, who didn't fight the cops, was already in another. A news crew showed up as Deuce was lifted into the ambulance, and the doctors and Viperine followed and shut the door. The police cars took Mark and Marisa to jail as the ambulance took Deuce to the hospital. He laid on the stretcher with his eyes closed and his teeth gritted. He groaned in pain.

"It's only about ten to fifteen minutes," Viperine said. She grabbed his right hand. "Just...hold on."

"I can't that long," Deuce admitted.

"Please try."

They sat in silence for a moment, as doctors were working on Deuce, who was groaning and writhing in pain. Viperine kept a strong grip on his hand.

"Only about six more minutes."

"Champagne, I can't wait that long..."

"Please try."

Deuce sighed. "...There's no point."

"Why not?"

"Think about it! Everywhere I go, there's always someone who wants me dead. Why not just let them have their way?"

"Think of the people you'd be hurting..."

"Think of the people I'd be helping. The ratio of the hurt to the helped has a pretty dramatic difference...I wonder how they'd react to my death..." Deuce trailed off in thought.

"Don't say that! You _are_ going to make it."

"No, I'm not," Deuce said. Tears streamed down his face. "No matter how hard I try. I can't hold on. Please...I'm not going to win the battle this time. Let me give in."

"Please..." Viperine begged, tears stinging her eyes.

"I'm not doing this anymore. I'm so _tired_ , Viperine." He closed his eyes, and she immediately squeezed his hand. She rubbed her thumb on his fingernail. He opened his eyes, but not fully. "Thank you for being here." He squeezed her hand. "I didn't want to die alone."

"Stop saying that!" Viperine said. Tears streamed down her face. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"You won't forget me...will you?" Deuce panted. His eyes looked so innocent, even with all he went through. It made Viperine's heart ache.

"Of course not. It'd be impossible."

"You know I love all of you, right?" Viperine nodded, and Deuce smiled weakly. His heavy breathing became slower, calmer, and steadier. He relaxed as he felt himself finally come to peace with all he went though. With his last breath, he whispered, "I'm finally going home."

His eyelids became heavy as he closed his eyes for the last time. His body became limp. The cardiograph flatlined, and Viperine began to cry.

"Deuce?" Viperine whispered. She shook his hand. "Deuce!"

The doctors rushed towards his corpse and tried to revive him. Viperine, who continued to sob, grabbed Deuce's hand, which became colder with each growing second. "¡Bebé! Moró, wake up!" She shook his hand harder. More forcefully. "Wake up!"

Cleo put her hand on her face and cried with her. The last thing she heard was Viperine scream.

Suddenly, the memory went completely black. Pitch black. Cleo jumped in fright, and the scene began rewinding like an old tape. The colors faded to an old sepia, and soon, the scene stopped rewinding. Everything was frozen in time except Cleo. The colors returned to the scene, and it began playing again. However, this time, two new figures appeared at the scene. They were slightly translucent. The figure on the left had green mambas tied into two pigtails. She had emerald green eyes with snake slit pupils. Her chest had a bloody, gaping hole, and she was wearing a dress with a red corset and black skirt. Her lips were dark raspberry. The figure to the first's right had the same face sculpture and green mambas; however, hers were let loose onto her shoulders. She had the same dark lips and emerald eyes. However, she had no hole in her chest, and her dress had a blue corset and black skirt. Both figures sat on Deuce's left.

"I'm telling you," the one on the right said, "it's going to end the same way."

"Oh, come on, Violet. Trust me. I know he'll break. And we need to be there for it."

"Well, that sounds a little _violent,_ " the second one- Violet- said. "We need to be there to watch him _break_ and _fail_ and _die_!"

"He'll be confused when he passes. We _all_ were. Thankfully, I had you. The least we can do is be here for him. He needs it."

"Alright...but don't get your hopes up. He's a strong one. He's been through a lot, but he's still somehow holding on."

"Of course, my love." They waited patiently before the one dubbed "Violet" began shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"...I still don't know about this..."

"Shh! Here he comes!"

With that, Deuce's eyelids became heavy as he closed his eyes for the last time. His body became limp. The cardiograph flatlined, and Viperine began to cry. The doctors rushed towards his corpse and tried to revive him. The scene faded darker, almost black. Deuce opened his eyes and saw himself in a kitchen, but the cabinets and appliances were in rows, resembling hallways. Deuce grabbed a pan and placed it on the counter, opened a cabinet, and reached for flour. He, himself, didn't know what he was making, but he felt his body moving on its own, as if it knew. He put the bag on the counter and shut the cabinet door. But standing behind the door was Mark.

"Miss me?" He pushed Deuce onto the cabinet, and Deuce cracked his head on the granite. His snakes hissed in pain and anger at Mark, who grabbed a rolling pin off the floor. He lifted it above his head and quickly brought it down on his son's head. Deuce fell to the ground. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Then, he tucked his head into his knees. Mark continued to use the rolling pin as a weapon upon his son. Suddenly, Deuce sensed his father had disappeared. Deuce shakily stood up. The cabinets, appliances, and counters had disappeared, and in their place were three, withering women. Their hair was thin and wispy. The one in the middle held an eyeball with a gray iris. None of them had eyes in their sockets. The tallest one had a single tooth, while the others were toothless. Suddenly, a hand ripped the eye from the woman's. The three woman shrieked and attempted to claw out the face of someone behind Deuce. Deuce turned around and saw a man with brown, wavy hair and hazel eyes. He raised his arm, so the eye was out of the women's grasp. He smirked evilly.

_Perseus..._ Deuce furrowed his eyebrows in anger as the women gave into whatever Perseus said. "Deino!" He yelled. The women refuse to look. "Pemphredo! Enyo!" Still, the Graeae didn't look at Deuce. He turned away and walked towards the sea. He sat on the sand and ran his fingertips through the grains. He heard music in the distance, and he stood up and walked towards it. Deuce continued to head towards the music until he saw a young woman on the beach. She had blonde hair and green eyes with yellow flecks. She had a harp with her, and she played it perfectly. Deuce noticed her fingers had small bandages around them, covering from the knuckles of her fingers up, but leaving the tips open. Her fingertips were bloody from playing her instrument relentlessly. She continued to play her harp as she looked up at Deuce.

"You need to run," Aikaterine said, still playing the harp.

"No," Deuce said. "I'm staying here."

"It's not safe. They're looking for you, Medusesus."

"They can't." Deuce shook his head. "This isn't real."

"That's what they want you to think," Aikaterine said. "It is real- to you."

"What?"

"Swim," she said. "Swim far away from here."

"Why? Who's looking for me?"

"No time to answer questions. Just go."

"There are sirens in there." Deuce pointed to the sea while continuing to look at the blonde woman. "They'll kill me."

"Silly boy. You're already dead."

Deuce's eyes widened.

"No...no, I'm not. I-It's not real."

Aikaterine looked completely serious as she said, "Look in the sea." Deuce shakily walked towards the sea. He knelt in the sand and bent over the water. His reflection was pale, bloodied, and bruised. Deuce looked down at his hands. They were broken and covered in blood. He looked back at Aikaterine. "Go."

Deuce nodded and jumped in the sea. He took off swimming towards the sun. The waves pushed against him, but he overcame them all. He continued to swim until he could not see Aikaterine anymore. Suddenly, he felt something grip his ankle. Deuce tried to kick and swim away, but it was too strong. It pulled him down underneath the waves. His lungs began to fill with water as he was dragged down further and further. Finally, Deuce kicked off the invisible creature. He quickly tried to swim to the top. He pushed his way through the liquid and came up above the waves with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes and saw that he was no longer in the Mediterranean, but he was now in an ocean of blood. Deuce clutched his stomach and felt his blood rushing out of his throat, pouring out of him and adding to the body of blood...which symbolized the amount of blood he'd lost in the accident. His breathing staggered, and he tried to swim, but he had no more energy left. Something grabbed at his ankle again and pulled him down under the water. This time, he couldn't get back up. He let it take him away.

"Hey...hey, Baby wake up." Deuce stirred, his eyes closed. "Are you okay? Hurting anywhere?"

"No...who...?" Deuce opened his eyes. In front of him was a girl with olive skin, emerald snake eyes, raspberry lips, and green snakes on her head. She stroked Deuce's snakes. He sat upright quickly.

"Whoa! Calm down! It's okay. No one is going to hurt you. What's wrong?"

"Where...where?" Madison smiled at her brother.

"Welcome home." Madison hugged Deuce, who cried and buried his face in her shoulder.

"W-where am I? What happened? Who's with you?"

"Okay! Okay! Slow down. I get it. You're nervous. I'll start with the first question. We call this place different things. 'Parte Altera.' 'Latum Alterum.' 'In Alia Parte.' They're all roughly the same. It means 'The Other Side' in Latin," Madison clarified.

"Okay..."

"What happened? You died."

"But...the blood and the people..." Deuce felt his curiosity swarm like bees. He had so many questions. "That felt so real."

"Baby, it's just what happens when your soul leaves your body. Your brain goes haywire, and you see images and feel surroundings that aren't there."

"Well, who's that?" Deuce pointed towards the other girl- Violet.

"Me?" She asked. "Oh, I'm Ianthe."

Deuce paled at the name. "Violet." Ianthe hugged Deuce.

"I've been waiting to meet you for a very long time." She let go of her brother. "Come on! Everyone wants to see you!"

"Everyone?" Deuce asked, feeling more hopeful than ever.

"Good to know you can still hear," Madison joked. "Let's go."

Cleo's phone paused the recording, and Frankie's caller ID came on the screen. Cleo left the memory before answering the phone.

"Cleo speaking."

"Cleo!" Frankie exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"Um...at an early memory," she lied.

"Well, we've found a memory for everyone. We're all ready to see Maddie's last memory."

"Oh, uh...I'll...come to you," Cleo said, trying to disguise the fact that she wasn't actually in Madison's memories. If they went to Deuce's memories, they'd want to look through them, and she didn't know how Deuce would feel about that. "Where are you?"

"We're heading into the hallway right now."

"Alright, let me finish up this memory, and I'll meet you there."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." Cleo ended the call before going to the first memory on the new hallway. She poked her head in. It began in a hospital's morgue in the middle of the night. Fourteen-year-old Deuce laid in one of the lockers. He had bruises all over his body, not to mention, blood. Both legs and arms were broken. His torso was slashed open, leaving a large, gaping hole. He had a punctured lung and copper wires in his arms. He had two black eyes and many other bruises and welts. His lips were parted slightly. He didn't breathe. Didn't move. Just laid in silence.

Suddenly, he awoke. The first second he was confused. The metal lockers were cold, dark, and tight, and it was impossible to see where he was. The second after the first, all the pain flooded in at once. He screeched and thrashed, agonizing and excruciating pain running through his veins. It hurt to move, but he did so anyway as best as he could.

It wasn't long before he got a nurse's attention. She rushed in with three other doctors. With shaking hands, she unlocked the locker door and pulled the screaming teen out. Two doctors held him down as another gave him anesthesia. They put the gas mask on him, and he calmed instantly, giving out.

"What happened?" One of the doctors said. "He shouldn't be alive if he's in a morgue!"

"This is the one who was supposed to get an autopsy this morning," another doctor said. "And by the looks of him, he shouldn't be up. It's impossible."

"Either way," the last doctor said, "he probably won't make it through the night." She turned to the nurse. "Call whoever is in the system. They can come even though visiting hours are over." The nurse nodded before hurrying off. "And get a room ready!"

As the doctors discussed matters, Cleo walked to the bed slowly. She knelt beside Deuce and held his right hand. It felt frail, like it was made of paper and would crumble in her palm at any second. She kissed his forehead before leaving the memory and hurrying down Deuce's hallway of memories. She returned to Madison's door and entered her hallway. She walked down the corridor and saw the others waiting for her.

"We've found everyone in her memories," Lamia said to Cleo. She swayed from one foot to the other uncomfortably, and her snakes hissed loudly. "There's only one last memory to see."

"You guys ready? Frankie asked slowly.

"Yeah." Clawdeen nodded.

"Is ready to see this scene."

"Course, mate."

Everyone walked down the hall until they reached the end. There was one last door. With shaky hands, Deuce opened it and let everyone inside. The second he stepped in, he froze.

"I don't wanna be here."

"Deuce..." Seth looked at his cousin with sympathy.

"I...I can't see that again. I just can't." His breathing became heavier.

"Well, this memory, you _have_ to be here," Lamia said. "You can't just wait in the halls."

Thirteen-year-old Deuce and Madison walked to the cemetery to the row of their siblings. Their sister. Half brothers. Half sisters. Stepsisters. Everyone was there, waiting patiently for them. Madison brushed the weeping willow's fallen leaves off Ianthe's headstone.

"Hey, Violet," she whispered. "How have you been? I'm sorry we've been super busy and couldn't see you often." The twins had planted violets next to Ianthe's headstone on their birthday several years ago. The magnificent, purple petals seemed to welcome the siblings. Madison smiled and reached down to stroke one of the flower's petals.

"We've been gone for a month," Deuce said, "and Dad keeps trying to give us back everything we owe or whatever." He knelt down next to the headstone. "It's tiring."

"Tiring's not the best word," Madison said. "More like completely draining."

"You would've liked it though," Deuce said. "Music Festival was...awesome to say the least."

"Definitely worth it," Madison said, grinning. "And we won." She put her hand on the headstone. The granite felt cool under her fingertips. "We won for you."

"I'm sure you would've loved to be on stage singing too," Deuce said. "Maybe in another life, we all can."

He knelt down to sit next to her headstone. He put his hand next to his sister's, feeling the stone underneath him. He exhaled, and his shoulders drooped. It was always depressing coming here, but he always felt at peace after visiting. He also knew that his guilt would eat him alive if he ever stopped showing up.

"Have you been taking care of the others?" Madison asked. She walked towards Roxie's grave and brushed off some of grass that must've blanketed the headstone after the lawn was mowed. "Hopefully, you're keeping everyone in order. Especially Ashton."

"Even though you probably don't have to," Deuce said with a chuckle. "Gwen's probably doing that anyway."

"We miss you," Madison said. "We miss you so, so much." She smiled softly as she felt her eyes sting with tears.

The two heard footsteps crunching through the grass and whipped around to see Mark trudging towards them. Madison's smile faltered.

"When the f*ck did I ever say you could come here?" The triplets kept silent. "Answer me, godd*mmit!"

"You've never had a problem with it before," Deuce said. Mark grabbed Deuce by his snakes and pushed him forward, cracking his skull into Ianthe's headstone. Blood poured from the gash on Deuce's forehead as Mark let go of him. Madison took out a knife from within her boot and aimed it towards Mark, who lunged at her. Deuce tried fighting him off, but Mark's attention went from his daughter to his son. He threw a punch at Deuce, and Madison tried to get Mark off of her brother, only to be kicked backwards. She staggered, and Mark focused on Madison. Deuce took the chance to punch Mark and wriggled out of his grasp. Suddenly, Mark locked Deuce in a chokehold, holding him to the ground by his neck, and he gripped Madison tightly by her wrist.

"The school's wondering where you're getting all those marks from," Mark said simply. Too calmly. As if nothing happened. As if his son wasn't choking and turning purple underneath his tight grip. "Maybe you should sell it a bit better."

"Maybe you should just _stop f*cking hitting us,_ " Madison retorted. Her eyes widened, and she instantly regretted the words the second they left her lips.

Mark's green eyes blazed in fury as he let go of Deuce and yanked Madison by her wrist away from her siblings' row of headstones. He dragged her a few feet before letting go. She and Deuce stood together in front of a headstone shaped as a cross. Mark picked Madison's knife up off the ground. Before she had time to react, he stabbed it directly into her heart. She let out a cry of agony. She felt her knees buckle, her legs turn to jelly. Mark yanked the knife out of her chest and shoved her backwards, and she landed on the cross-shaped headstone. It impaled her, stabbing through her back and going through her torso, luckily not coming out the front side. She let out another scream. Mark dropped the bloody knife to the grass. "You have five minutes." He walked away without speaking another word or looking back.

Deuce carefully lifted his sister off the headstone and gently carried her to Ianthe's grave, where he placed her on the ground carefully while continuing to hold her in his arms. Madison struggled to breathe, each breath more labored than the last. Tears streamed down both of their faces, and Madison reached up to touch the cut across Deuce's forehead. She smeared the blood with her thumb, but her energy diminished quickly, and she had no choice but to put her arm down.

"Well," she gasped, "I guess this is it."

"No," Deuce whispered. His tears fell onto her cheeks. "It's not. You can do it. You can..you can still survive." He put his fingers over her chest, trying to stanch the blood.

"No, Baby..." Madison tried to push his hand away, but she felt so weak. She couldn't do much more than nudge him gently. "It's okay. There...there's no point." She closed her eyes, resting further into Deuce's arms. "I see her."

"See who?"

"Ianthe. She's sitting next to you."

Deuce suddenly felt a pair of cold arms wrap around him gently in a hug. He felt her cool breath as she whispered into his ear. "She'll be in good hands with me forever."

Deuce stared at her sadly as she lifted her arm shakily. She took his sunglasses off to look into his eyes one last time. As a gorgon, she was one of the only people who could meet his eyes, and she wanted to see the striking emeralds while she still could.

"Can you sing to me?" She said between shaky breaths. "I want to hear you sing one last time."

Deuce nodded. "How many years have passed me by..." He exhaled as he felt his throat close up. "Since I've stopped to take a look at all the changes in my life? So many friends have come and gone, but all those summer nights still burn inside my lungs. I hope you will not forget this either. Forever."

Madison smiled sadly as she looked up at him. He hated seeing her in pain, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her either.

"And I bet I'm not the only one who thinks I'm stuck in the past with all the friends I am losing. I regret not holding on to it closely. The past is the past, and I'm letting it kill me." He cried harder, and his voice cracked as he sang. Yet, Madison still smiled. "If I just had one wish, I'll tell you what it'd be. I'd bring back all the bands inside the dome and one last time we'd have a f*cking show." He stopped singing momentarily to take a deep breath.

"Life is what you make it, what you make it, and I believe in this. What happened to the familiar faces that I've come to miss?" He paused to wipe his tears and catch his breath. "And I bet I'm not the only one who thinks I'm stuck in the past with all the friends I am losing. I regret not holding on to it closely. The past is the past, and I'm letting it kill me." He stopped again before continuing. More and more tears ran down his face, and his throat closed tighter and tighter, so much so that it became hard to sing. Yet, he persevered to see his sister smile. "This sinking ship can't hold much water! How much longer? How much longer? Until these lights are dead and gone. I will scatter the ashes of what's left of this place that I call home. And I will scatter the ashes of this former life, this place that I call home. And fight this fatal attraction. Just to sit inside and hang my head too low. Living in shadows of scars. The past defines just who we are.

"And I bet I'm not the only one who thinks I'm stuck in the past with all the friends I am losing. I regret not holding on it closely. The past is the past, and I'm letting it kill me. The past lives."

Madison smiled and squeezed her brother's hand. "Thank you." They sat in silence, Deuce letting his tears fall into the grass and Madison taking slower, more shallow breaths.

Deuce cried harder, his hands shaking violently. Madison squeezed his hand in hers. "I don't want you to die."

"I don't want to die either," Madison admitted. "I'm barely thirteen. I've got my whole life ahead of me. I don't want to die now. I'm too young. I'm not ready." Tears ran down her face viciously, as if they'd never stop. "I'm not ready." She closed her eyes, feeling the tears tickle her cheeks. "I'm not ready..."

Deuce felt her go limp in his arms as her heart and breathing quelled. He yelled as he cried, his hands convulsing as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get rid of his tears. "No. No, no, no, no, no!" He said quickly. "No! Please! Maddie! Maddie, wake up! Wake up! Wake up, Madison! Don't die! Don't die on me! Please! Madison...!" He closed his eyes. "I need you..." He whispered. He held her tighter and wept into her shoulder.

In real time, Deuce sobbed, and Cleo laid her head on his shoulder, rubbing his back to comfort him.

Suddenly, the thirteen-year-old screamed. He screamed to everyone and no one. The air, the bodies in the cemetery, the world. It was a yell of anger, and sadness, and heartbreak, and loss, and rage, and burning, agonizing, blistering pain that nothing would ever soothe.

"She's mine!" He screamed. "You stay away from her! It's not her time!"

Everyone in the group cried, but Lagoona cried harder than everyone expected.

"It's not fair..." She wiped her saltwater tears. "It's not bloody fair, mate."

"Lagoona..." Frankie said.

"NO!" Lagoona screamed. "She died- they all died- because that bloody hell father!"

As if on cue, Mark returned to the duo. He yanked Deuce up by his snakes and pulled Madison by her matching ones with the other hand. He dragged them both to the trunk of his car before throwing them in. Madison's hand rested on Deuce's arm. He grabbed her motionless hand and felt the soft, cold flesh. Deuce kissed her forehead lightly and wept silently. After several minutes, the car stopped suddenly. Mark opened the trunk and removed Madison's dead body before shutting the trunk, leaving Deuce inside. He threw her against the wall of a dark alley and pulled up her skirt. From within the car, Deuce could hear him have his way with her corpse. He felt his stomach twisted inside him. The idea of his father raping his sister's corpse was revolting. When he finished, he left her in the alley as he went back to the car to drag Deuce out.

As he opened the trunk door, he slapped a hand over his son's mouth. "You try to run or scream or call for help, god, help me. You will end up like this." He pointed to Madison, and Deuce nodded. With one hand, he yanked Deuce out of the car, and with the other hand, he grabbed lighter fluid. They walked back, stopping at where Maddie laid. Deuce's eyes widened as Mark poured the lighter fluid over her. He pulled a box of matches from his pocket and lit one. The fire burned on the wooden stick, and Deuce squeezed his eyes shut and tucked his head into his left shoulder. Mark grabbed Deuce's chin and pulled it towards his sister, forcing him to look at his sister's body. "Watch."

Mark tossed the match onto Madison's body, and the flames engulfed it immediately. Deuce watched in horror and raised his hand to his mouth, silently letting tears fall down his cheeks.

Deuce buried his face into Cleo's hair, sobbing harder. Lagoona covered her eyes, as did Draculaura.

"I...I can't do it," Lagoona whispered. "I can't do this. It's too much."

"This is so wrong," Clawd mumbled.

"Oh god," Seth said. "That could've stayed out of my mind."

"I am so sorry, Deuce," Draculaura said, wiping her eyes.

"What happened the days after this?" Jackson asked Deuce softly.

"Dad left her here," Deuce answered. "Cops...cops came to the house a day or two after, asking me to identify a body they found in that trash can." He wiped his eyes and pointed to the large, green trash bin towards the middle of the alley. "They-they drove me to the police station, and it was her. I brought her home and laid her on the bed. Dad said it was weird and necrophilic- even though he raped her when she was dead, not me. Anyway, he had me bury her. I-I dug her grave in the backyard. Took me four hours because it took everything inside me to cover it."

"He put his heart and soul into it," Lamia joked, trying to lighten the mood. "He gave her a bouquet of flowers and put a different kind of flowers all around her. It was insane."

"She had a real funeral about a week and a half later," Deuce continued. "She was dressed in red with roses in her hair. Caleen made a red and white bouquet. It had poppies, lilies, gladiolas, baby's breath. She was lovely." He trailed off, and the group went silent.

The smell of burning flesh surrounded the area, and they choked on the scent. Suddenly, there was a blinding light, and a doorway of white light appeared. They stared, no one moving an inch. Finally, Lamia gave up. She headed towards the door.

"Stop dragging your d*cks!" She shouted. "Come on! It's time to see Maddie!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that wasn't too much. I did my research on a few of those deaths; could you tell? Most are pretty obvious, but as for Evangeline, she died from food poisoning, but more specifically, Listeria (or Listeriosis).
> 
> Also Yiayia is "grandmother," and Papou is "grandfather."
> 
> The visions of Gwendolyn and Gabriel represented the devil and the angel on either shoulder. However, I'm not quite sure how well that was portrayed.
> 
> The lines that read, "Maybe you should sell it a bit better." "Maybe you should stop hitting us," came from another story I read. It's a Riverdale fanfiction called "The Town With Darkness." Ten out of ten; would recommend.
> 
> The following songs were used in the making of this chapter:
> 
> "Lies" by Evanescence  
> "Rats" by Motionless in White  
> "Cobwebs" by Motionless in White  
> "A Match Into Water" by Pierce The Veil
> 
> The song used for the title is "Burned at Both Ends" by Motionless in White.

**Author's Note:**

> So how was it? Did you notice the foreshadowing?
> 
> I don't know if any MIW fans out there can tell, but all of my chapter titles are either song titles or song lyrics. This song is "Dark Passenger" by Motionless in White.
> 
> The song used in this was "Hero" by Skillet.


End file.
